StarCross'd Lovers
by Doormouse
Summary: The Avatar is about balance in the world, Yin and Yang.  But mind you: Yin and Yang are descriptions of complementary opposites rather than absolutes. Zutara
1. Aquila, the Eagle

_**Where this falls Canonically -- Uhm, I would say just before the Episode "The Library".  
I think. It is AU though so yeah, it's like from there and then slants off into it's own wacky direction. **_

**There! I've finally stopped talking about it and managed to write this silly thing! I've been promising it to my friends for ages and kept getting distracted by other things. Hi guys!**

**I don't think it's terrible Cliched but I do it sometimes without meaning to, see I love Folklore and Mythology to death (yes yes, I know some of you are painfully aware of that) and so my whole life is built around the sort of "standard" plots. I like to think I put my own twist on them but if I start bothering you feel free to tell me.**

**Oh, and so you know I'm not stalking you-- though I'm certain a large portion of you have skipped on to the story already-- I use and abuse the review reply feature. Be warned.  
**

* * *

**  
**

The forest was still and quiet, spring was changing slowly into summer and the leaves were turning from that sweet spring green into that deep and vibrant green of the hotter months. It was still cool enough that the fire was necessary but he had kept it small just to be safe.

He glanced across the fire at the bound figure of the Avatar. Like this he certainly didn't _look _like the Master of all four elements, he just looked like a child, bound, gagged and beaten. There was a sour twist of guilt in the pit of Zuko's stomach.

He reminded himself that this was the Avatar, that it wasn't _just a child._ Here, laying bound on the forest floor was his way home, the key to earning his father's love and approval. It wasn't _really _ a child, it wasn't anything but a means to an end. The thoughts did little to comfort him and in the back of his mind was an image of Iroh's face, looking sad and betrayed.

The fire flared to life and Zuko cursed under his breath, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath through his nose. He held it a moment and let it out slowly. The flames flickered and died, falling under their own control once more. Only his father mattered, he would restore Zuko's honor and love him and treat him like a son.

The Avatar started to shiver, his teeth chattering together even in the soft warmth of the evening. Zuko sighed heavily and stood, skirting around the fire and dropping to the balls of his feet, turning the frail body onto its back. The Avatar had always been a bit pale, the blue ink of his tattoos saw to that, but now his skin had that waxy sort of pale color that accompanies illness.

He felt his jaw clench tightly as he tried to get a rein on his anger again. Of all the things to have happen this was probably one of the worst. The Avatar, savior of the people and near-mythical figure _was _a child, and his body was weak, and he was ill.

Judging by the flaming heat of his flesh there was no way he would survive the arduous journey to Ozai's throne room, which left Zuko only one option. He had never been formally trained in healing, why would he? There was no need for a Prince to stoop to helping someone in his army, there were surgeons for that very reason. But when he...when he and Iroh were on that one ship with that one crew it sometimes became necessary for everyone to pitch in, and when he and Iroh escaped the North Pole, they had to do everything for themselves.

He knew a little, and he fumbled a lot, but he set to work trying to heal the Avatar so he'd be alive long enough to reach Ozai?

_And then what?_

And then the Fire Lord would do what was necessary.

_Kill him. Save the Avatar so that Ozai might have the _honor _of killing him._

The sour feeling of guilt twisted in Zuko's stomach again and he tried not to think. Right now, all that mattered was that he had the Avatar, he had _won_ and he wasn't going to lose him now when there might be something he could do.

The Avatar would get better, Zuko would bring him into the Fire Nation and everything would get better.

Iroh entered the camp slowly, the Ostrich-horse laden down with Agni only knew what, and inspected the scene before him. His outward appearance didn't actually change but he seemed older and sadder the moment that he beheld the bound Avatar. He didn't say anything, and Zuko was startled by his reaction. He actually felt _bad_. He felt bad for having captured the Avatar for a brief second because it so obviously disappointed his dear Uncle.

But that didn't matter, his father would be proud, his father would love him, his father would be thrilled.

"We don't have a ship anymore Uncle, you can't just buy everything you see at a Market." Zuko sighed, hoping their old argument would stir the old man to life. Surely Iroh had to realize that this was important. It was important for Zuko to earn his honor back and the Avatar would allow him to do that. If the boy didn't fight so hard Zuko wouldn't have had to hurt him, and Zuko had every intention of helping him as much as possible.

His Uncle glanced over one shoulder at the young prince but said nothing, merely got out his old tea set and started to make tea, his face still looking much older and sadder.

Zuko sighed, frustrated. Iroh would come around eventually.

"He doesn't look well Zuko." Iroh murmured later as he was pouring the tea, it smelled sickly sweet and Zuko couldn't name it from where he was.

"He'll get better. We can stay here for a little." He glanced to the Avatar. "We'll stay here until he wakes up at least, he isn't any use to me dead." That had been the wrong thing obviously. His Uncle shook his head very softly and glanced down into the cup he held between his large hands. Zuko felt the fires of his anger twisting and twining like snakes in his chest and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself

Why was his life so hard? No matter what he did someone always seemed disappointed in him. It was maddening. But Iroh was soft in his old age. He had tried several times to convince Zuko to stop looking for the Avatar, and he had made it clear—especially after Azula came into the picture—that he didn't believe the Fire Lord would ever take Zuko back.

He would come around though. When his father welcomed Zuko back as a hero and restored his Honor then Uncle would come around and understand, he just didn't have faith, he was old and hardened by battle.

Zuko could understand. Uncle loved him, he would come around soon.

* * *

Aang awoke slowly. What little of the sky he could see was pale grey, streaked with orange and pink, all the colors of the dawn. He felt a bit cold and sticky, but at first he attributed that to the dew, until his vision went hazy for a moment and a cough shook his small—_tied up—_frame. He cast a glance around as much as he was able to and saw nothing. Trees instead of Appa, rocks instead of his friends, a small fire. 

He shifted, slowly and saw a dark figure hunched against a tree and it took him several long moments to piece together the fragments of memories and clues that he already had and when he did he almost wished he was still asleep.

He remembered the storm first. It had been as bad as the storm that sent him to what should have been a watery grave. He was shaking from more than just the cold and when Katara suggested they land he had jumped at the opportunity. They had landed at the edge of a forest and managed to find a small amount of shelter. They lit a tiny fire at first but it sizzled and went out soon enough. They'd huddled together and fallen into an uneasy sleep, Aang was tortured by nightmares.

Toph had shouted them away, "_Run." _She'd managed, and then fireballs rained down upon them, strong enough to turn the rain into steam. They had scattered, and Aang had hung back a moment, urging Appa to take off without them, Aang waved the whistle, trying to save his oldest friend. Just as Appa had taken off Zuko had fallen upon him, a whirl of fire and steel.

Now he was here, every inch of him aching and he was shivering and bound. He hoped that since he was alone with the banished prince that meant the others were safe.

"I suppose you're feeling better if you're up." Zuko hadn't moved an inch and until then Aang had assumed the Firebender was asleep. Aang didn't say anything, which didn't matter because as Zuko stood he started to speak. "You've been out for a few days, some powerful 'bender you are."

Aang absorbed this in silence. It must just be him under Zuko's care, but his friends would be looking for them, if it was _just _the prince that was no problem, Aang was certain they would save him. However, he doubted Zuko didn't have an army hiding somewhere.

"So what, you save me just to kill me?" Aang asked, furious. He wanted so badly to believe that everyone had some good in them, Zuko above all others. The prince had saved him, and helped him, you didn't do that if you were pure evil. He deserved a chance at redemption, but every time Aang offered him a chance, Zuko spat on it, almost _trying _to prove he was just as evil as his father.

Zuko froze, his good eye narrowing viciously. Was it some trick that the Avatar's words so closely mirrored the thought he'd buried when he first caught the _child? _Or was it just a coincidence? There was no way it was a trick, the Avatar wasn't bright enough for that, he was simple—like all Airbenders.

"I am to deliver you _alive _to my father, what happens is up to him and if you please him or not."

"I don't care about pleasing a monster like him. He's destroying this world, I _know _you can see it too!" Aang pleaded, praying that he could get through to the prince, all it would take was a moment, a second to plant the idea into his head. Just a chance to nurture the good Aang _knew _to be within the young man.

Zuko regarded the young boy for a moment, he had a lump on the side of his head that looked red still, and his small frame was littered with cuts and bruises. Zuko had done his best to heal the boy, but time would be the real doctor in a case like this.

Still, for all the pain Zuko had caused—no matter that he was forced to undo a great deal of it—the child still looked at him with those large and soulful eyes, like a turtle duck begging for scraps. Only the Avatar didn't want breadcrumbs, he wanted Zuko to renounce his evil ways and his warmongering father, abandon his quest and join the "good fight" and be a "hero".

He snorted at his own thoughts.

"He is _uniting _this world as the Avatar never could." Zuko hissed, turning toward the tree he had slept against the last few nights and grasped his small, worn pack, rifling through it until he found a small, crusty bit of bread. After all the work he went through keeping the brat alive he wasn't going to let him starve to death.

"You can't believe that." The words came out in a rush of air, more of a sigh than anything else and even with his back to him Zuko could still see the way those grey eyes were large and filled with hurt, and confusion and a thousand other emotions that didn't make the slightest amount of sense. He was the Avatar, people like Zuko were supposed to be his enemy, but here he was getting a motivational speech every time he cast a glance over his shoulder. It was as vexing as it was confusing.

"What do you think is going to happen _Avatar_," he spat the word out like it was a foul taste in his mouth or a vile insult, "Do you think I'm going to turn around one day with a smile on my face, proclaim I'll follow you in your daft endeavor and join you against my father?" He sneered and whirled on the boy, lifting him easily by the front of his distinct yellow and orange garb. "He is my father and he loves me, I just need to prove myself to him and you're going to help me do that." Zuko assured him, dropping him into a heap and storming to the other side of the camp when he was done.

"He banished you Zuko, how long has it been? Don't you think he would have asked you back by now if it was just a matter of you proving yourself to him?" Now Zuko was certain that the Avatar must have more than just a mastery of all four elements, first he had echoed Zuko's own thoughts and now he was quoting his Uncle.

A lance of pain slid through Zuko's heart at the thought of his Uncle. The old man had woken early and gone into town. Taking care of the sickly Avatar had depleted their supplies faster than either of them anticipated. No doubt the man would come back with half the marketplace, but that wasn't what caused the strange pain. The man had been so quiet lately.

No matter how many times Zuko had explained his position, assured Uncle that his father would give him a Hero's Welcome, the old man would just look to the little boy and shake his head. Zuko felt more helpless than anything now. He craved his father's approval and he desperately wanted to go home, that wasn't going to change, but still he wanted his Uncle to be happy, and to be proud of him. Those two things had always been such a constant through all the turmoil that it was strange to suddenly be without them.

"Shut up." His voice was low and dangerous. "You don't know. You don't know anything, you don't know about him and you don't know anything about me." His fists clenched at his sides and Aang didn't fail to notice this. The roll was nothing but crumbs now and with a quick burst of flames it wasn't even that anymore.

"It is good to see you awake." Hearing Iroh's voice sound so kind and warm after so long without it was like a balm on Zuko's soul. Even if the warmth was directed to the Avatar instead of him Zuko found it was comforting, it meant his Uncle was still there, under the suddenly cold and quiet exterior. "May I get you something to eat, or some tea?" Zuko was about to shout that he had already gotten food for the Avatar, but he looked at the palm of his hand and saw the smudges of ashes on his fingers and remained quiet. His Uncle revealed a small pouch of fruits and sat beside the young monk, helping him to sit up. "My name is Iroh." He offered. They knew each other, but he felt it was time for a proper introduction, "and it is an honor to meet the Avatar." He smiled warmly and Zuko returned to the tree at the far end of the camp and sat quietly with his arms folded across his chest, ducking his head and letting the wide brim of his hat hide the rest of the camp from sight.

* * *

**How was it for a first chapter? I adore Avatar to death but I don't get to watch it as often as I like so if I make any glaring Canon!Mistakes that can't really be explained away by "it's AU" than please point them out.**


	2. Cygnus, the Swan

**Okay, let me just say "WOW" I was really impressed by the response that this little story of mine got! What a lovely welcome to a new fandom. Anyway, tryin' something new...those of you who've hung around before, I can see you rolling your eyes, shut up. I'm going to try to update every Monday. Well, Tuesday depending on your timezone, it's still Monday for me here, but only for a few hours, but you get the point. Updating with a vague amount of regularity. **

**As always, any questions will be answered with as much speed on my part as possible, I hope you enjoy.**

**And I don't own Avatar, if I did there would be a Zuko plushie by now.  
**

* * *

Dawn broke softly, and to the accompaniment of birdsong and the strong smell of rain. Normally the smell soothed Katara. She missed her home it was true, but there was something so different about the rain—even if it was all water. She loved the smell of it best and normally waking on a forest floor wasn't all that bad if there was warm sunshine and the smell of rain. 

_Everything seemed new again._

Today she could have woken to found Gran-gran smiling over her, or a thousand other things that she loved more than the scent of rain, but it wouldn't have made a difference. She woke suddenly, with a stifled yelp. Her stomach twisted violently and she felt a sob already building in her throat. It took her a long moment to realize she had been crying in her sleep.

Was it really only dawn? It seemed like an eternity ago that she had been with her dear friends—_her family, they were family—_somewhere else in this accursed forest, curling against Appa to fight off the cold of the lashing rain and laughing over Sokka's antics, he'd tried to wrest an apple away from Momo and the lemur had led him on a merry chase around camp before Sokka tripped and fell head-first into a mud puddle. Toph had insisted she had nothing to do with it, he was plenty clumsy on his own, but Katara saw the smile on her face and laughed all the harder.

They had just been settling down to rest when it happened, they had been murmuring wishes of good sleep and sweet dreams and Toph had scooted closer to Katara, her voice soft and hushed as the Waterbender had never heard it.

"Katara," She started, and instantly she was on the alert, it was rare for Toph to be so quiet, rarer still for her to be serious. "It might be all the mud, and the rain, but there's something," She had started to point and the clearing had been illuminated completely by the ball of fire that rushed toward their group.

Katara had grabbed Toph without thinking, dragged the girl aside, spun, and bent water to hand in a shield.

The rain was a blessing.

Toph couldn't see the fire falling all around them, but she had proved already that she was capable of waking even Sokka.

The ground beneath Katara's feet shook when Toph stamped her foot and behind her Katara heard both Aang and Sokka shout in confusion. She didn't see what they were doing, but suddenly Aang was beside her, bending a wall of Earth with Toph's help. And suddenly they had a few seconds to spare.

"We have to split up, Aang you and Toph take Appa, Katara you come with me." Sokka suggested, his voice rising in pitch. He was nervous and they were rushed and if only they could know how many Firebenders there were. All they knew was that it wasn't Azula with her blue fire and lightning, but that wasn't as much a comfort as it should have been.

"I can't Earthbend in the air." Toph insisted, and Katara touched her shoulder.

"Toph you can go with Sokka, I'll stay with Aang, with this rain I'm a better bet for fighting in the air." Katara offered, she knew the helplessness that fell over a bender who couldn't bend, she knew what it was like to be helpless because your element was nowhere to be found.

"Katara--" Sokka started, but the Firebenders had figured out their trick and fire started raining down on them once more. Appa groaned, deep and low, as flames licked at his fur for a moment before Aang could put them out.

"Sokka go!" She shouted, and he nodded, once, gulping down his objections. "We'll meet up in that little town we were in yesterday." She assured him. "We'll be fine." She hoped that with the rain and the fighting he wouldn't be able to tell she was lying. When she was little he always seemed able to know, even if he couldn't always figure out what the truth was.

She watched him, over her shoulder, grab Toph's hand and dart into the trees, and turned to Aang who was trying desperately to get Appa—poor, tired Appa with the singed fur and empty stomach—off the ground.

Katara did all she could, she built up wave after wave of water and attacked each ball of fire as it sped toward them. She could feel herself tiring, while it seemed the Firebenders were getting stronger. "Run Katara, Appa and I can go faster without worrying about passengers, we can lead them off in another direction, loose them and then we'll circle back to the town." He told her, his grey eyes brimming with confidence while her arms shook as she tried to hold the shield in place.

"I can't just _leave _you Aang." She managed.

"It's fine Katara, go!" And when she continued to hesitate and refused to be budged from his side, he sucked in a large breath and she was sent flying backwards when he let it go. She tumbled through the underbrush and turned back in time to see Appa taking off.

She smiled despite the ache in her head and stumbled off deeper into the forest and away from the angry Fire Nation Soldiers.

It seemed like it had all happened ages ago, but it was only the next morning, really only a few hours. She still ached, she was still tired, and she was all alone. She prayed to all the gods that everyone else was alright, that Aang wasn't taking too many risks and that Toph and Sokka weren't fighting too terribly.

* * *

"We have to do _something_!" Katara exclaimed. She was pacing back and forth in front of the small fire Sokka had built and wringing her hands. The three had met up with surprising ease in the town after their midnight dash away from the Fire Nation. Two days later as the sun was setting Appa had landed at the far end of the town. The three of them—four with the inclusion of Momo—rushed out to meet the tired Sk-Bison, only to stumble to a halt when they realized he was missing one Airbender. 

They were trying to figure out what to do, but while they all agreed that they needed to find him and as soon as possible, they couldn't agree on how to go about finding him.

Things were made more difficult because Katara, normally the voice of reason between Toph's force and Sokka's tenancy to rush head-long into things, was at her wits-end worrying for Aang. Momo landed on her shoulder and held out a partially eaten fruit, dripping sticky juices, while he chattered softly. He was trying in his own way to comfort her and she realized that. She stroked his ears with one hand, prying the fruit away from him with the other. "I know you miss him too Momo." She murmured, and in that moment she wished with all her heart that she knew what to say to make this all better. Or that Aang would come bursting through the brush on his air-scooter laughing and giggling like always.

"I think we need to go back to where we camped the other night. The rain will have washed all the tracks away but there might be something left that tells us where they went." Sokka suggested. He worried for Aang it was true, but he was worried for his sister now as well. She was the one who was calm and calmed everyone else down and now she was pacing and nervous and he simply didn't know what to for her beyond finding Aang and he wasn't even certain how to do that.

"That's a brilliant idea Sokka!" Katara shouted, whirling on him. Momo clung desperately to her shoulder and his tail puffed up to nearly twice its size. "And we have Appa so we can fly over head and maybe we can spot them. With the weather they couldn't have gotten too far."

Sokka watched as she climbed quickly onto Appa's back, taking the seat normally occupied by Aang and shook his head. She seemed more like herself now but he wondered how long it would last if they couldn't find Aang that easily.

"Here, let me help you up." He said, after watching Toph struggle for a few moments. She was so capable when her feet were on the ground that he often forgot that she was blind at all. She grinned in the wrong direction and planted her foot right in his face rather than his waiting hands.

"Thanks Snoozels." She shot over her shoulder while he was left rubbing his nose and scrambling aboard. Katara didn't even wait for him to be fully in the saddle before she urged Appa up into the air.

"They'll be heading toward water right? I mean that makes sense." She tossed over her shoulder. Second guessing herself the moment it was out of her mouth. "So check the map for the nearest coastline and we'll start looking in that direction." Sokka sighed heavily but set to work trying to read the map anyway. He felt better knowing that even if she was still a bit on edge that at least she had hope again. Katara hopeless was like a day without a night, it wasn't right and it left him feeling awkward and queasy.

He probably worried for Katara more than he needed to, she'd proved time and again that she was just as capable of holding her own in a fight—probably better than him for that matter—but she would always be his little sister and he would always see her as a little pudgy child waddling after him, crying because someone was teasing her, and crying harder when her tears froze to her face.

He supposed that sometimes—_most of the time—_he annoyed her, but it seemed like every day pulled her further and further away from a realm where he could protect her.

"Keep an eye out for anything strange." Katara said, slipping easily back into her place as leader of the group.

"Yeah that'll work." Toph snorted.

"It's just how she gets when she's nervous about something." Sokka murmured.

"I hate flying." She grumbled under her breath. Sokka smiled even if she couldn't see it and nudged her with his elbow.

"If you're not careful people are going to think the great blind bandit is afraid." He teased. Katara was capable and strong and independent, and Toph reminded him a lot of that, but there were times still when she needed help, and Katara didn't seem to need any help lately, except for keeping their strange little family together. It was the least he could do. The two settled into an easy banter revolving around teasing each other while he peered over the edge of Appa's saddle, not that he had any idea of just what he should be looking for.


	3. Columba, the Dove

**I still don't own Avatar, but you all knew that. I'm still sort of setting up the plot so I realize it's not terribly _gripping _action-wise, but you can ask the people who read Pomegranates, I do eventually hit the plot, you just have to be a bit patient with me. **

**AzureAquarius pointed out a bunch of important stuff--why are you all making her do all the work? You could have pointed some of it out! --that A) I hadn't explained the chapter titles like I normally do, and B) that I was veering dangerously close to ranting a bit. Both good points. I think I've fixed the ranting, though I am aware that without knowing what's going to happen in future chapters this one does seem useless but I promise that when you hit some later chapter you're gonna go "Ooooh now I get it...yeah that chapter was totally important." **

**The chapter titles are all constellations in the night sky, I thought it fitting and they all do have _reasons _behind why I picked them but not always terribly obvious ones. For instance this chapter, Columba the Dove, that stems mostly from Doves being harbingers of peace and often times friendship, which is what Aang is always striving for, especially in this chapter, also they are known to be excessivly violent when their chicks are threatened, like Iroh: peaceful normally unless the situation calls for it, usually when Zuko's in danger. The last two are like that, not really terribly sensible to anyone but me, but I liked the way they fit the chapters. Should I do geek-points to those who can find the reasons for the titles of previous and future chapters? I suppose they could be redeemed for oneshots if you wanted or minor cameos in the story.**

**Or did you all skip this and head onto the chapter?**

* * *

Despite the fact that he was here under duress and he wanted desperately to catch up with the others—_he had gotten Appa to escape, but had the bison made it to the rest of them?--_however it could not be said that he didn't find some enjoyment out of being with these two. Iroh was warm and kind and while much larger reminded Aang of Gyatso. He always knew just the right thing to say and while he didn't offer Aang Fruit Pies, he did play Pai Sho and he offered tea.

He was so distinctly _different _from Zuko that Aang often wondered if they were truly related. Nothing about the old general seemed to say "Fire Nation" other than his gold eyes. His thoughts were always dashed to pieces though. The way that Iroh looked at the sullen and angry prince spoke of love. Even if they weren't really related by blood, they were family. Just like how even though he shared no blood with Gyatso, _they _were family.

"You need to learn Firebending soon don't you?" Iroh asked in the still quiet that fell upon them while Zuko was off fetching supplies. The younger man was far more noticeable in a small town but Iroh apparently couldn't be trusted alone in a market, even without money he'd come back with arm-loads of things.

"Yes. Katara has been teaching me Waterbending, and I think I've almost got that down, and Toph's teaching me to Earthbend," He smiled at the ground and didn't add that she was also teaching him a thing or two about having tougher skin when it came to failure and insults. Iroh didn't ask which girl was which, he could guess from what he knew of the world and the legend and now he had names to faces. "But finding someone to teach **Fi**-re..._bendng_ will be difficult." The words not spoken fell heavily between them. Aang stumbled over the word, trying to stop himself, to take it back but the damage was done. He'd said it, carefully yes, but he'd still said it. And both of them could hear what went unsaid.

_All the Firebenders are on the other side, out to kill me. No one will betray their Lord to teach me._

Iroh was silent for a long moment, hiding his mouth behind his teacup and treating himself to a long and steady gulp. He sighed heavily into the cooling liquid and steam leaked from his nostrils, warming it quickly.

When Iroh spoke, setting his tea on the ground by his knee, his voice was soft and serious. "He's just a boy who has spent his whole life vying for his father's affection. When he was small Azula stood in his way, always a step ahead and that much better at Firebending. Then he was banished and I think he felt like he finally had a chance at earning even a fraction of his father's love.

"Azula was not looking for the Avatar, so she could not best him at it. At the heart of things, he will always be a small boy, looking after his father's shadow and wondering '_why doesn't he love me?' _I don't think that will ever change." Aang was startled at the sudden flood of words. But he realized what it was. Iroh was trying to show Zuko that there was another path. Iroh _saw _the goodness in the fallen prince, and he had seen that Aang saw it too, he was apologizingfor Zuko.

_I wish I could help him. _Iroh's eyes whispered, sad and tired. He felt like he had failed this young man who wouldn't be helped.

A part of Iroh sighed, wondering if it had been right—_smart—_to tell all that to the Avatar, the words he had been thinking for so long and keeping silent for just as long. It had taken the death of his only son for Iroh to see the honor of peace, and he wanted to protect Zuko from pain that severe as much as possible, but even being banished hadn't changed Zuko's mind. He _loved _his father as Iroh had loved Lu Ten, and that sort of love didn't ever fade away. Iroh could personally attest to that.

The Avatar brought balance and peace, even if he was a bubbly little boy with big gray eyes. If anyone could help Zuko even after Iroh had failed him, surely the Avatar could. Iroh rather liked the young boy, it was rare to find someone to play Pai Sho with, even though it was far rarer to keep Aang's attention _on_ the game or Zuko from _ending _the game.

The silence that settled between them, over all the unsaid things was not tense, but it was by no means comfortable. Iroh wondered if this child—_Avatar or no—_could help his dear nephew, while Aang prayed to Roku and Kyoshi and all the Avatars that came before that he could help Zuko. It was true the prince had put both the Aang and his friends in danger, and it was also true that the prince had sought to capture him, and in fact _had _now captured him. But Iroh loved him so much, and Aang rather liked Iroh; and there was both goodness and kindness in him, and as the Avatar, Aang _had _to try and help.

It wasn't just about his duty to the people as the Avatar. It was about a quiet moment in forest far away from this one and a question asked in a soft and almost shy voice. At the time he thought it just Zuko who kept them from being friends, but he saw now that part of it was him. Zuko was used to being beyond friendship as a prince. He had his family and of that now there was only his Uncle. Friendship would be a trial for the both of them and at the time Aang hadn't been ready to _try _to make any more of an effort than he did for most of the friends he made, peaceful people who wanted peace for the whole land rather than a hurt and injured prince who had no throne nor a kingdom. A Prince of the land that started and continued this war that hurt so many other people.

This was a problem for an Airbender, he thought with a rueful little smile twisting the corners of his lips. Somewhere there was a different angle, a clever solution or a trickity-trick that was going to find the kind and gentle prince underneath the pain and the mistrust and the scar, and Aang was more determined than ever to _find _that one tiny chink in the armor of the facade that Zuko showed the world. Not just for Iroh, but for _Zuko _as well.

Two _incomplete_ lives were most certainly not better than one _whole _life, there had to be some point where the Blue Spirit that had saved Aang so long ago and the banished prince that hunted Aang to this day met, and Aang just had to find that place. He assured himself of this fact again and again but a part of him, the surly, quiet part that had been certain that the Avatar State was a good way to defeat the Fire Lord, wondered if it was really that easy.

Katara was the one who believed in legends and fortunes and destinies and happily ever after. Aang was the Avatar, so he could easily master all four elements, restore balance to the world, bring peace, end the war and be home in time for a nice dinner with their little family. He had never been so certain as she was; when she spoke the courage and faith came effortlessly, but here in this forest he couldn't remember how to have such blind faith.

He wouldn't ever admit it aloud, but he thought the same thing as everyone else. _He was just a child! _He wasn't _ready _to be the Avatar, he still had trouble_ talking _to girls, how was he supposed to end a war and bring about world peace?

Then there were those like the Old Fisherman, and Aang agreed with them as well, he'd abandoned this world, who was he to try and save it when it was _his fault _that it was like this? Surely he'd ruined things enough, while at the same time the Avatar was needed for Balance what sort of Balance was there with a cowardly, _child _of an Avatar.

Zuko came back then, laden with the supplies they needed and nothing extra, though there was a small pouch of tea that they might not _need _but Uncle loved tea, and he didn't want Iroh to be mad at him anymore. _He needed Uncle to understand. _Iroh always seemed to be so much more forgiving and understanding when he had Jasmin tea in hand and cup.

Even with the peace offering of tea dinner was a silent affair apart from the sounds of eating. Iroh stood after his food was gone, groaned softly and stretched. In the cold voice he had adopted as of late when talking to Zuko he said that his old bones needed a relaxing soak, and he wondered off into the surrounding forest, leaving the two opposing forces alone together.

They stared at each other a few moments, steel grey such a contrast to honeyed amber.

"You talk with Uncle a lot." He finally said, grunting out the sentence as though he had to physically force it out and past his lips. Aang blinked for a moment, confused and uncertain _why _the sullen man had chosen to ask _that _question.

"He's a very kind man." Aang settled on that answer, certain there was some trick or trap lying in wait that he just couldn't _see _it right now.

"Yes." Zuko admitted, sounding nothing like a Prince and nothing like a hunter, nothing like a captor. He sounded like a teenager, sad that the person he regarded to be much like a father was angry with him. "Yes, he is." He swallowed hard. "_You're supposed to be _old." He finally exploded. Confusion and frustration and a thousand other emotions rubbing against his thin patience until it wore thin and the exclamation broke free. "How is it that you're only a child? Where did you go that you stayed so young?"

Aang wondered for a moment if he should answer, maybe he should just stay quiet, after all what could come of answering these questions? But he remembered Iroh's concerns and he remembered his desire to be friends, his desire for peace. His epiphany that maybe _he _had to try for friendship and make an effort.

"I was frozen, in an iceberg. It was Katara who found me and pulled me out or I might have stayed there for another hundred years." His voice was soft, quiet and serious. Zuko's eyes narrowed, a silent question. "The Waterbender I travel with." His voice went to a totally different kind of soft and Zuko was startled. He knew that the Avatar cared for his companions but in that moment Zuko could see that it was a different sort of 'care' that this child felt for the Waterbender.

"How did you get in an Iceberg?" He didn't need to know that the Avatar cared for the Water—_Katara—_anymore because he had the Avatar, no need to know weaknesses. Aang hesitated. It had taken him a long time to work up the courage just to tell Katara and he knew he was safe with her. Friendship though, was about trust, and like an animal if he proved to Zuko he was trustworthy, the prince might trust him in turn.

So, trying to control the tremor in his voice Aang started his story. About how he had never wanted to be the Avatar, and he'd only wanted to play with his friends and live like any other Airbending child. He told Zuko about being shunned from the games his friends played, _because you're the Avatar, it's an unfair advantage to whoever's team you're on..._The words haunted him even now. He felt the anger and betryal well up all over again when he related how the last straw was Gyatso, the last one who treated him like a normal child and played games with him and made him laugh. "So I ran." Aang murmured, feeling the burn of tears in his eyes. "I ran from the temple, from being the Avatar and decided to find a place where I was _just Aang._" He closed his eyes and trembled for a moment, fighting the pain of old wounds. He was fine, he couldn't change the past, he could only move on and change the future.

"It was the wrong thing to do, but I wanted my own destiny, I was tired of people telling me just how my life was going to play out, so I took my destiny into my own hands, and a part of me wishes I had been there to help them fight--" He stumbled over the word 'Firebenders' _"_But at the same time I might have died with the others and then I wouldn't be able to help _now_. I'm here now and I'll make do, and I'm still following the path _they _laid out for me, but now it's because I choose to. I never wanted to be the Avatar but when I see the pain and suffering of the world I want to do whatever I can to help and I can do that as the Avatar, so I will."

It was still the same destiny but it wasn't so bad when it was his choice and when he had friends like Toph and Sokka and Katara to follow alongside him. No more was he being left out because he was the Avatar, though now he did have to put up with Sokka always insisting on meat with every meal, but that didn't even rankle anymore, it made him chuckle. Especially when the great hunter had to rely on Katara to catch fish for him.


	4. Corvus, the Raven

**Corvus the raven was set to watch Apollo's beloved and when she was unfaithful he told Apollo and was rewarded for announcing the betrayal, and earned a place in the heavens. **

**Useless information of the day: Apollo was considered the most beautiful of all the Gods, but he was also rejected the most by his lovers.**

* * *

Zuko's life had always been filled with contrasting duality as far back as he could remember. As a child there was his mother's soft and calming influence in direct contrast to the harsh and vicious temper of his father. His mother laughed and sighed and spoke of kindness, while his father fought for the throne and shouted, _notevergoodenough!_

When his mother was gone, Iroh was still there to offer the options of being peaceful and gentle. He had trouble mastering even the basics of firebending, mostly because he was impatient to move onto the more advanced sets, while everything came so easily to Azula. She was into the advanced sets while Zuko still had trouble and even when the royal tutors moved him onto the more advanced sets she was already bending with blue fire.

A part of him feared that he wasn't ever going to be good enough. If your parents were strong benders, you were supposed to be a strong bender, that was how it worked, but in their family his father was an extremely powerful bender while his mother couldn't bend at all. Azula obviously had all the skill and power and maybe he was lucky that he could bend at all.

But a prince couldn't be weak, just as a Fire Lord couldn't be weak. So he tried and tried and even when he _just couldn't do it _he tried again and again because he _had to do it. _He had to be as powerful as his father because someday he would rule. He had to have the strength expected of a Fire Lord. He would be a Fire Lord, but he was weak.

Then he had learned of politics and battle strategies and he thought that finally, _finally, _he would be able to prove that he had the strength necessary. If he could plan things just right, if he could utilize the full strength of his armies it would be just like he himself was a powerful firebender.

He had had hope for the first time in a long time, and Iroh had even let him into the War Chamber. Surely that meant he was proving himself. He would prove to everyone that he could be just as powerful a Lord as his father and then no more whispers about Azula being more powerful.

He still woke up panting and heaving from horrific nightmares of that moment and the Agni Kai that followed. Sometimes the moments faded together, twisted and warped and his father stood right there in the War Chamber, all shadows and fire and smoke, and suddenly he was no longer Zuko's father, but a dragon, vicious and grinning with a mouth full of teeth before he fell upon the child breathing fire and gnashing his fangs together while Azula writhed in the background, a dragon of blue scales that sparked when she moved, urging her father on, _weak, coward, kill him. _

Azula had what was rightfully _his_ place on the throne, she had blue fire and lightning and she had his father's love. Everything he wanted. _Born lucky. _She'd always been better than him, luckier than him, one step ahead of him. She had the same ruthless passion as his father while Zuko had been cursed with compassion by his mother and Iroh. He shouldn't care about soldiers dying for their cause, they were there to be used in the manner best suited to protecting the Nation and expanding boarders.

He shouldn't care about them, but he did. He couldn't watch someone die if he could save them. It was detestable but he couldn't fight it no matter how he tried. Even Zhao who would have killed the prince when his back was turned had been enough of a human for Zuko to try desperately to save him.

Even now he was drowning in both sides. He loved his uncle and he couldn't have loved him more even if the old man _was _his father. Zuko was desperate to make him proud and to have his advice in everything that he did because he trusted the old man, even if he was a lunatic sometimes and spent far too much whenever he went to any market.

_But Iroh said that the Fire Lord would never take Zuko back. _His father had banished him, and said that he could come back if he found and brought the Avatar. That was true. But Iroh never lied and he said that Zuko would never be welcomed back. What was he meant to believe?

Still he trusted Iroh and still he craved his attention and advice, especially now.

The Avatar wouldn't lie, he didn't have it in him, he was all about peace and friendship and kindness. The Avatar had spoke of choosing your own destiny, and how that made even an unbearable task bearable, you'd _chosen _it and there was power to be had in that choice. The Avatar hadn't wanted the responsibility but now that he choose it he could manage it and he'd even found such _stalwart _companions to help him in his quest.

Was it traitorous that he wondered about this way of peace? Was he dishonoring his father by wondering if maybe that the war wasn't the right way, and that maybe the four nations had to be in control of their own land for balance to be achieved? Even his tutors at the palace had told him from a young age that there was balance in the world. Yin and Yang, they kept the world even and in balance and without them there was chaos.

So _why was the Fire Nation taking over?_

He had never asked when he lived there and he wasn't certain he would have gotten an answer even if he did. He wanted to ask his uncle, but the man was still silent and angry, so all Zuko could do was meditate and hope that somehow he could come to the right conclusion without the help he suddenly realized he'd depended on so much.

_The Avatar is the only one in the world who can master all four elements. In each generation he is born to a different country. The Air Nomads, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. Avatar Roku was born to the Fire Nation, and he was a wise and kind Avatar who lived when Fire Lord Sozin was on the throne and before that even. He kept the world balanced and equal. The Avatar is mortal though, just like you and I child. And the day came that Roku was called away to enjoy his eternal rest. The world mourned his passing and soon turned their eyes to the Air Nomads, waiting for the next Avatar to emerge._

_They waited, and waited, and still no Avatar came, but this could be expected, the Avatar had to master all the four elements and he also had grow up like any normal child._

_But then, the Fire Nation launched an attack. Ruling just their corner of the world was not enough and they wanted to unite all four nations under one rule. People though _'Surely now the Avatar will come.' _But they were wrong, and he never came, no one came and then the Airbenders were all destroyed leaving empty temples to gather dust and stories to lull children to sleep. _

_And slowly people lost hope, and stories circulated that there never had been an Avatar after Roku, or that even if there was he had been killed in the Fire Nation raids. So the world fell, country by country to the Fire Nation troops._

_And soon, Little Prince, there will be peace. Someday this fighting will end and peace will reign._

He recalled the story slowly at first, and then the memories snapped into place and he could hear his mother's voice in his head murmuring the words as she tucked him in and smiled in that gentle way she had. Relaying the story even on the nights that he didn't ask for it.

He realized now that she never said the Fire Lord would bring peace, she was always careful to say only that the war would end and there would be peace. Zuko forced his breath to slow. He folded his legs under him, laced his fingers together and tried to clear his head of these traitorous thoughts. Poisonous terrible things that the Avatar had managed to give strength to, _it would not work_!

But there was some truth. Lying to himself would not help and there was some truth and _was he really a coward because he wanted peace? Was it cowardly not to wish for the scent of blood heavy in the air, not to burn everything in your path and destroy families?_

If even the Fire Lord knew Balance was important, why was he taking over?

He recalled once when they were small. When Azula's friends got something, she demanded four more. When they had something she didn't she demanded it _my right as princess! You have to give it to me because I'm a princess and I say so._

He had an image of her holding the end of Ty Lee's birthday present, a simple toy, a stick with a cup at one end and a little ball on a string. The object was to jerk the stick and land the ball into the cup and the little girl was brilliant at it. Azula had demanded it and Ty Lee refused and suddenly the two were fighting over it.

Azula was stronger though. She pulled it out of Ty Lee's hands and tried it twice, missing both times. In a voice that hid all her emotion she sighed and turned her nose up into the air. "On second thought, I don't want it anymore." And Ty Lee had asked for it back. Azula had burned it in a brilliant burst of flame. Nothing more than ash and the smell of smoke.

Azula was spoiled. _Spoiled brat. _Was that all this was? Was the Fire Lord, _was his father, _jealous of the land that the other nations had? Did he only want it so that _they couldn't have it? _He wanted the most, he wanted the best, _he wanted it all._

Was that any less wrong just because he was a Lord rather than a child? Children got switched(1) when they acted that way, but who was there to tell a Lord that he was being a spoiled child?

The Avatar.

Zuko lost his concentration for a moment as though the realization had struck him a physical blow. He shook and trembled and his eyes were as wide as they could go. He panted for a few moments and struggled to regain the calm he had lost.

_Traitor._

Sneered a part of his mind that sounded dangerously like Azula. Without a thought he hid behind the mantra of his childhood. _Azula always lies, Azula always lies, Azula always lies. _

He settled himself slowly. He wasn't a traitor. In his history lessons he had been taught about Fire Lords who had abused their powers and been overthrown. Those who overthrew them were never punished, rather they were looked upon as heroes for fighting the tyranny that no one else had the power to face.

Was he a coward just because he wanted peace? No. Even the Fire Nation wanted peace, it was just a matter of how the peace was achieved that brought differences and history was filled with men who were called Traitors or Cowards because they fought for what they believed in, but they still fought and soon people saw the light and joined the cause.

He wanted desperately to believe that his father would accept him back. He wanted to believe that his father would love him and that his father would welcome him and that he could earn back his place on the throne.

Wanting something, even desperately, did not mean you would get it. His father had promised Zuko love if Zuko brought him a mere child.

Zuko's eyes snapped open and cut across the campsite to where the Avatar was huddled against a tree and sleeping fitfully. This child thought he could defeat Ozai? The Prince sighed, the fire flickering as he lost a grip on his calm again. Iroh had been begging Zuko to choose his own path, to realize that war wasn't the way, to realize that Azula lied and his father wasn't worth the adoration Zuko bestowed upon him. _A _Father _would not do that to a son._

He felt his stomach twist whether in guilt or fear or something else entirely he didn't know, but he knew he was on the threshold of the most important decision of his life and there was no one here to help him or guide him. The decision was his and his alone.

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. He would at least heed the advice his uncle had given him before. _Don't rush headlong into things. Think things through before you make decisions._

* * *

_**1 -- **_Do people still say "switched" I don't know, maybe I'm letting on how old I am cough but switching was this thing a long time ago when parents could still do things like spank their kids. You took a long "switch" which was a stick that was flexible to a point, and then they whacked your backside with it. It hurt but it wasn't any worse than spanking I don't think. I think. My parents went the spanking route but I remember seeing it in movies and books. Yeah did I mention I've obscure knowledge like that and it will be seeded throughout because I never know what's still used and what's not. I'm odd like that._  
_


	5. Leo, the Lion

**Okay the title of this one is a bit obscure, well no I mean I'm sure you've all heard of it but I mean the "why" behind why I picked it is sort of obscure, like all of them but eh, eventually I'll run out of constellations.**

**Ooh, I should make you all think of something else to use for chapter titles when the constellations are going. Pardon my evil laugh.**

**Anyway, Leo the lion is the constellation for all you leos out there, but why is there a lion in the constellations? Hercules. (all of you who stuck with me through Pomegranates are surely groaning, I'll try to keep this short.) He had to face twelve labors to earn his place as a hero, okay so the first labor was fighting Leo the Lion. I picked it because Zuko, and the whole of the Gaang have tons of trials facing them in the chapters ahead, but this is Zuko's first and so Leo the Lion seemed a fitting title. It's also a fire-sign so that seemed especially fitting.**

* * *

**  
**

Normally Aang had the tenancy to rise early, the earliest of the whole group—_family—_and he would stretch and rub his eyes, and his movements would inevitably wake Toph. She was a light sleeper when she slept on the ground. Katara had worried for a long while that Toph wasn't sleeping well enough, but the two had worked it out eventually. She would feel everything, and she would feel Aang shifting as he came fully awake. She'd take down her tent then, she never shared or offered to make one for the whole group unless it was raining and even then she'd just build the shelter large enough and expect everyone to enter. But the sounds of the earth returning to the way it was meant to be would wake Katara, who would clean up her things, and set to work on breakfast, humming tunelessly.

There was an unspoken rule in the group, like how Katara always cooked and Toph never actually invited them into the shelter; Toph would always wake Sokka just before they started eating and after their portions had been dished up. She would pound her heel into the ground and the boy would wake, screaming, as he hit the ground. No matter how many times they relived this ritual, everyone laughed and Sokka always pouted into his breakfast.

It wasn't always funny, but it was part of the tradition, they needed to laugh and Sokka was more than happy to give them a reason to do just that, and they were happy to take the opportunity.

Since Aang's fever had broken and he could actually remember things he had been with Zuko and his Uncle for three painfully long days, and yet it still was jarringly strange to wake each morning, his hands and feet bound behind his back and no Appa, no Katara cooking and humming, no Toph torturing Sokka, no Momo stealing bits of fruit and then pressing his sticky paws against Aang's head before launching off to hunt bugs.

He couldn't stretch at all, he couldn't even rub the sleep from his eyes and it took him much longer to wake up each morning for this. Or maybe he just dreaded to have to face another day as a prisoner.

He could see a figure standing just on the edge of his blurry vision and squeezed his eyes shut, and then blinked hard a few times in an attempt to clear them. He almost wished he hadn't, not that it would actually change his predicament.

He only had a vague impression of what was going on before his mind had jumped to the only conclusion it could find and left Aang yelling in helpless terror. Zuko was standing on the edge of his vision, those swords he could use so well glinting dangerously in morning sunlight. He wasn't terribly good at putting two and two together but he managed this time. Zuko, swords...Zuko was going to kill him, something had changed, Aang was right and he was going to die.

Iroh came awake at Aang's shout but it was too late to do anything but watch as the blade flew through the air, flickering in the strengthening light. He stood fluidly, he was still a general and a warrior at heart, but he couldn't bring himself to raise a hand against his nephew. Hope spring eternal after all and he hoped he knew where this was going.

Aang's arms jerked and he was darting across the clearing faster than when he ran from the Unagi before he even realized that to do that his arms and legs would have to be free. He slowed, stumbled to a stop at the far edge of the campsite and glanced at his hands, seeing severed ropes trailing from bony wrists; pale wrists covered with stark blue ink and angry red marks where the ropes had bit into the flesh. Iroh was kind enough to help him clean them so they didn't get infected, but if he was to remain bound his tender flesh would suffer.

"I don't..." Aang started, confused and still a little scared. He couldn't quite manage to draw the words past the lump of fear lodged in his throat.

From his position off to the side, an eternal spectator, Iroh breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't ready to learn if he would or even could sacrifice Zuko for the good of the world, and he was immensely grateful that at least a few of his lessons seemed to have impacted the young man.

Zuko was silent, he didn't move but the barest of motions, just to sheath the swords he clung to calmly, his gold eyes cold and steady, revealing nothing of the turmoil that still raged just beneath the surface. He had made his decision but it was life-altering to the most extreme and even if he _knew _it was the right one that didn't mean he could tacitly accept it and head smiling into the unknown.

"Uncle has been telling me since I was small to consider my destiny, and to choose my own path. He did, you did, is it so strange that I would?" He asked gruffly, and Aang—with wisdom that exceeded his years—chose not to point out that it_ was_ a bit out of character. Iroh let his eyes slid shut, heart clenching in his breast, he would always love Zuko, and he had faith in the boy but he had worried. He had worried that maybe Zuko would never choose a destiny, he would just blindly follow after Ozai waiting for the man to turn and acknowledge him as "son" and it killed Iroh a little to know that would never happen.

Aang decided not to say anything, he just watched, and waited, but that might just have been Toph's Neutral Jin wearing off on him finally. "I want to help you. The Fire Nation needs balance as much as everyone else, I saw that at the North Pole, it has just taken me this long to realize that my father isn't trying to balance things, he's out to benefit himself. He isn't doing this for the best of the Fire Nation."

Iroh felt his eyes burn with tears of sheer joy and delight. He had always hoped that Zuko would see the truth of his unique situation, but as of late that hope had dimmed and weakened to the point of almost nothing. But here in this moment, it flared back to life as though it had never been gone at all. Iroh could see the young man who would brandish his pearl dagger and fight pretend enemies, losing and winning all the same once more.

And oh! How he had missed that boy. IT was true that he peeked out on occasion, most obviously with that Blue Spirit character, but when his eyes were soft like that and his shoulders high and sure Iroh could see Ursa in the boy and that was as wonderful as it was painful.

_If you could see him now._

He had been desperate to tell Zuko for the last three years that it was Ozai who had been in the wrong, and that it was Ozai who didn't know how best to lead their nation, but the boy was stubborn, and he wouldn't have believed it unless he could figure it out for himself.

Aang wasn't aware of it, but Zuko swallowed hard; the prince was trembling with the sheer power that this realization granted him. He _had been right_ that day so long ago, and this scar should remind him to _keep fighting even when things got hard. _But it had taken him a long time to learn the lesson when all he really wanted was his father's love.

Now he realized that Ozai was no father. Iroh, standing off to the side and smiling softly, had been more of a father to him, teaching him with patience and sometimes a hard edge when Zuko refused to listen. Iroh was whom he should have listened to and looked to and loved all along and he should have realized that sooner.

The lessons he had based his whole life around were contradicting each other and it had taken him a long and sleepless night, many long and sleepless nights for that matter, to realize which lessons he was going to follow and just what that meant for him and his future, and now the Avatar too.

His mother had once told him to remember who he was, he wondered now if maybe she knew—in her mother's way—that he was going to come to this place and see that he couldn't follow the paths laid out before him. What were his options that way?

He could follow after his father begging for love and attention until Azula killed him in her quest for the throne. She had wished Iroh dead so her father would rule and he had no doubt she wouldn't think twice to kill Zuko if his position was restored. He was also fairly certain that his father wouldn't do anything about it but shake his head and bury his murdered son.

He could defeat Azula—maybe—and then hide out as a refugee perhaps, but he would never be happy like that. Living in simply poverty while the world shattered and crumbled around him.

Or he might die facing her, whether he was willing to admit it or not she was far more skilled than he and she had lightning on her side. His uncle had taught him how to channel the lightning but could he stake his life on that working?

No, he realized he had to forge his own path. _That's who you are Zuko..._Her words came to him from years and years ago, and they weren't dimmed in the slightest with the fog of his memory, clear as crystal. _Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard. _He usually had trouble recalling ever facet of her face and every little tone in her voice, but in this instant he had no such troubles.

He had realized, late in the night, that _that _was what she had meant when she told him to remember who he was; and that was how he knew he had to help the Avatar-child. This was his path, or at least the path he was planning to make for himself.

He felt lighter now that the decision had been made and he could follow it through. He had a plan and there was a comfort to be found in that. There were, of course, other things that needed to be considered and things would be harder along this path, but he felt notably lighter, calmer.

Maybe there was something to the fact that his Uncle kept telling him to find his path and balance would come to him. His eyes darted to Iroh, a subtle twitch of movement but the old man knew Zuko well and nodded his head. Zuko knew that if he were to do this properly he should drop to one knee, place his swords between himself and the Avatar, and bow his head as he swore fidelity. He struggled not to sneer, he had changed, but not that much.

"I will help you. You need a Firebending Master to learn from, my Uncle is the best." He told the child, struggling to keep his voice from trembling. If someone had told him even just two weeks ago that he would be betraying his father, and taking up arms to help the boy he'd tracked for so long, Zuko would never have believed it; but four years ago he would never have believed that his father would battle him, scar him, and banish him; and six years ago he would never have believed that his mother would vanish into the night.

He had planned ever step of his life by the time he was seven, how could he not with every tutor telling him "Learn this for one day you might be called upon to serve your country," and when Ozai took the throne it became: "Learn this for one day you will be the Fire Lord." It was all planned and perfect and then one after another it began to fall apart and here he was.

Maybe it wasn't so surprising and strange. Zuko wasn't skilled enough, or patient enough to teach the Avatar Firebending, but he would stand at the child's side. This boy didn't seem to know the first thing about war or Azula and after years upon years of both Zuko knew all there was to know. He would stand beside him and protect him and fight for him.

Even if that meant traveling with them, a repugnant thought no matter how different he was.


	6. Lacerta, the Lizard

**Well, I've found that there are less myths than there will be chapters so if no one minds I'm going to subtly start edging away from "myths of the constellations" and more into myths and symbols in general, those of you who have stalked me know that I'm a mythology geek and I'm also a huge folklore geek so it'll be nice to stretch my knowledge in those areas. **

**Dedicated to Azure Aquarius (happy belated birthday! And thanks for letting me throw story ideas at your head!)**

_**Masume **_commented that she was doubting my claim that this is a Zutara and I just wanted to assure anyone who had any doubts that it is! But I tend to take my time in presenting the plot and set things up and people who are arm-chair detectives (or real detectives, I've found teachers reading my fanfics it wouldn't be the strangest thing) can find hints of things to come in my chapters. I'm a foreshadowing geek too I guess. So just have patience with me and there are tons of fabulous Zutara stories that are much shorter than mine you can go enjoy if you're impatient, all the authors in this section are pretty awesome. But yeah, a warning to those who might be impatient, this is probably not the fic for you if you wanna just hop right into the zutara bits.

* * *

Zuko didn't openly apologize to his uncle and Iroh didn't openly forgive him. It was not Zuko's way. To apologize was to be weak, to regret was to be weak and if you showed even a sliver of weakness you were dead in the next moment. That lesson had been pounded into him since he was a child. Azula didn't kill, but she made him wish for death. Iroh regretted that Zuko had learned this lesson, but he was trying to fix it, slowly and one soft movement at a time. Zuko wouldn't have accepted an outward sign of forgiveness, around the young man you needed a subtle touch.

So, the next morning when the small and scraggly group woke, Iroh put on the tea as he always did, and that morning he poured a cup for Zuko, to anyone else it wouldn't have meant anything, but Zuko could see the meaning behind the action.

_You made a good choice, I am proud of you._

Zuko, in turn accepted it with a gracious smile and a slight inclination of the head.

_I am glad._

If Aang noticed anything special to this interaction he didn't say anything, and the fact of the matter was he _didn't _notice anything off about their actions. He was too thrilled to be free, _he would see Katara again! _ He couldn't even taste the tea he was drinking let alone realize it was burning his tongue.

He looked forward to seeing Katara again and he certainly looked forward to teasing Sokka again.

He desperately missed Momo's soft green eyes and his heart ached for Appa, his dearest friend and the only remainder of his life from a hundred years ago.

He was even excited about seeing Toph and hearing her call him "Twinkle-toes." No matter how demeaning Sokka said it was. _And oh! It _was _demeaning._

He was humming with excitement, with only one care weighing him down.

_He didn't want to learn Firebending._

He had promised he wouldn't, _never again, _he said. He had hurt Katara, the worst thing he could possibly do. He just wasn't certain how to tell the kindly old man he'd grown to care so much for that. How did you explain to someone who could master only one element that you felt theirs was too wild. Earthbending had been hard, nearly impossible even. But he had never been _scared _of it.

"Do you have any idea where we could find the others you're always traveling with?" Zuko's voice came out harsher than he meant it to and he inwardly cursed his rebellious tongue. He was trying to start over and he was trying to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again.

"I think what my nephew means is do you know of a place where we might be most likely to find your friends?" Iroh suggested in his soft manner and calm voice. Zuko envied him the ease with which he could calm people, earn trust and make friends.

Aang looked over the chipped earthenware mug he held, grey eyes darting from one to the other before finally settling on Iroh. "We were all going to meet in a small clearing outside of the little village." He didn't recall the name anymore and it didn't matter, they were in a vastly unpopulated area and as far as he _could _remember it was the only village for miles. He could still hear Katara's voice. She had been so worried.

"Will they still be there do you think?" Iroh asked when it appeared that Zuko was planning on keeping his mouth shut.

"They might have moved on looking for me." He managed to stop himself from saying anything more. The tight look that flashed across Zuko's face reminded him that this was as new and awkward for them as it was for him, and if he wanted to really be friends he had to work at it, and watch what he said carefully. Trust would be fragile and hard-won. "They will stay in the area I think." He wasn't as sure as he would have liked. He knew they would look for him, there was nothing else to be done—he _was _the Avatar after-all—but they had never entertained the idea of him being captured, there was no plan for it and he wasn't certain just what they would do.

Zuko was displeased, it was obvious the Avatar had no idea where his friends were and it was depressing to realize that they had made no plans for situations like this one, it was sad to think that the world rested on the shoulders of a band of children who hadn't an idea about the true horrors of war.

"They'll stick close to the town probably, and they'll be flying that bison of yours." Iroh interjected, hoping his good-natured tone would rub off on the two boys, one who was tired and desperate to get back to his friends and the other too sensitive to people judging him.

"_His name is Appa!" _Aang snapped, feeling anger flare to life suddenly within him. He quelled it quickly and struggled to fight the urge to shout some more. It wasn't their fault they didn't know Apa's name and Iroh certainly didn't mean anything by it. Still, he didn't apologize for his outburst.

"Appa," Iroh said with a smile, "will be very visible, and if I recall the forest thins out as one nears the town so perhaps that is the direction in which we should travel." His eyes darted to Zuko, urging the boy to join the conversation.

"It's only about two days from here if we walk." He managed, sounding gruff but not nearly as on edge as he felt. The Ostrich-Horse would best serve it's purpose carrying their meager things, the stash had increased in size since Iroh had been allowed to roam the town alone.

Aang's face fell and his shoulders sagged and everything about him spoke of his depression. Zuko was tempted to grab the boy's skinny shoulders and shake him until he gained some sense. He had been days away from death and now he was getting to be free and he would have more help in this impossibly task of over-throwing Ozai and yet..._he was this depressed at a two day lag? _

His hands balled into fists at his sides and his shoulders gained a hard line but there was no outward sign of his desire to knock some sense into the young man. He didn't think even Iroh noticed and the old man knew him and his moods better than anyone alive.

There was still a dull pain when he thought of his mother and he was certain that there always would be.

Traveling was awkward. They were all trying in their own ways, Iroh probably harder than the other two. However Aang was on edge, nervous about Firebending and desperate to see his friends again; Zuko was little better. He was trying, but trust and friendship didn't come easily to him—nothing ever did—and Aang's short temper was not helping.

They settled, finally, into an uncomfortable silence. Around noon Iroh bade them stop so he could rest his weary bones—Zuko never believed it when Iroh played that he was old and feeble, but he didn't contest it either—and have a small lunch.

"Here you are Avatar Aang," Iroh started with one of his warmest smiles while Zuko silently forced down the stale bread. Iroh held out the freshest piece of bread in their supply and the last piece of cheese.

"Aang is fine." Aang seemed to calm as easily as he had been riled up and smiled now at the older man.

"Aang." Iroh's smile managed to get even larger. "You may call me Iroh." The two talked quietly for a while and Zuko remained on the outside of their little circle, when he suggested they get moving, the chatter continued. They talked about tea and sweets and strange cultures and customs that the two had experienced. When they settled to camp for the night—earlier than Zuko would have liked—Iroh suggested they start with some basic forms of Firebending.

Aang gulped and nodded delicately. He couldn't get the sound of Katara's broken sobbing out of his head, it was a sound that had haunted his dreams as much as the sounds of thunder and echoing footsteps in empty temples. This time around he didn't question his teacher or his methods.

Zuko had again put himself at the farthest edge of the camp and didn't watch the proceedings. Which was just as well because Aang hardly displayed the strength and aptitude that should be shown by the Avatar. His forms were weak and his stances were sloppy and any effort he put forth was half-hearted at least.

Iroh finally paused in his ceaseless drilling and inspected Aang as he had done several times. The boy trembled and his feet were too far apart—something that Iroh had told him again and again to watch—and Iroh thought he might have finally found the boy's problem.

Without warning Iroh unleashed a blast of fire. Aang jumped into the air, his bending taking him almost to the treetops, and had pulled up a wave of earth to smother the fire, landing with his chest heaving and ready for more.

"Well there's nothing wrong with your other bending, so I wonder why you're having such a hard time with Firebending." Iroh murmured, making it clear that he had caught Aang _trying _to fail. Before Aang could launch into excuse after excuse Iroh held out his hand for silence, and Aang's mouth shut with a soft click. "Why don't we take a break for lessons and you can help me hunt for tea leaves." Iroh suggested, motioning for Aang to follow.

They walked deeper into the forest, back the way they had traveled that day, in silence, with Aang looking like a man being lead to the gallows. After a while Iroh took a deep breath, eyed Aang over his shoulder and spoke, his soft voice sounding neither angry nor disappointed and Aang remember Gyatso and his soft smiles and kind words. There was a soft stab of longing, Aang missed him so...

"Why do you seem so hesitant to learn Firebending? You seem to want to fail as much as most men wish to succeed."

"I don't _want _to firebend." Aang exploded, feeling all the painful memories and doubts pushing to the surface and hot tears burning at his eyes. He was worried now that Iroh would give him the standard "you're the Avatar," lecture. Aang knew he was the Avatar and that he was supposed to master all four elements and that that _included Firebending._ But he couldn't banish the memory of Katara running away from him in tears.

"Why not?" That question had not been what Aang was suspecting and he stumbled a moment in his surprise.

"Because it's too wild, you can't really control it and..." He stopped, the words sticking in his suddenly too-tight throat. Finally the words burst free, the whole story coming out in a rush. Jeong-Jeong and his boring and tireless lessons, his initial refusal to teach and, and even burning Katara when all he wanted to do was play.

His fears that he wasn't ready to firebend and he was _never going to be ready._

Iroh smiled softly and sat on a toppled tree, patting the space next to him in invitation. Aang sat, drawing his legs up under him and watching an trail of Antbeetles shamble about.

"Katara is the Water Tribe girl you travel with?"

"Yes." He sighed and couldn't restrain the goofy smile that took over his young face.

"You care for her very deeply don't you Aang?"

"Yes." Iroh knew well what it was like to long for a pair of eyes and a soft smile. He knew the look well enough to know that they weren't together whether something kept them apart or the love was unrequited he didn't know. Maybe the Avatar simply lacked the courage to make love known, he was still a child and Iroh wondered if anyone had taken the time to teach the child to be a child.

"She is a very skilled Waterbender isn't she?" Iroh asked.

"Yeah." There was a note of pride there.

"But she isn't strong enough to bring balance back to the world without the Avatar is she?" Iroh prodded, trying to lead Aang to the realization on his own.

"Well, no."

"No, of course not, only the Avatar can do that. The Avatar, master of all four of the elements." Aang frowned at that, he knew all too well what he was and he didn't need to be reminded of it at every turn. Iroh constrained his grin. "But she's proud and stubborn isn't she? She will fight when the time comes without thought for herself."

"Yeah. She'd do anything to help anyone." Aang said, not certain what this conversation was heading toward.

"So the Avatar will have to help her or those seeking balance will loose this war."

"I know I have to help her!" Aang shouted, feeling persecuted.

"I did not say _you._" Iroh admonished quietly. "I said the Avatar, the master of all the elements. You are only mastering three. Impressive but it is not up to the Avatar's high standards." Aang opened his mouth to shout but closed it suddenly as it dawned on him what Iroh was saying.

"I hurt her once with Firebending because I was untrained, but I have to train in it to help her, to be able to protect her and restore the balance."

"Fire is just as important as the other elements. Both in another weapon for the Avatar to wield but in the lessons it teaches us. All the four elements teach us a different lesson. Earth teaches us to be strong and sturdy, to face problems head on, while Air teaches us the power in defense and the advantage that can come from looking at problems in a different light. Water teaches us to be fluid and move with things, to go with the flow." Iroh chuckled softly to himself.

"And Fire teaches us a lesson as well. You can't really control the fire like you seem to control the other elements, it is almost a living thing on its own and you more lead it rather than control it. Firebending teaches the Avatar to lead, to let the people go about their lives and make mistakes and solve problems, but he steps in when he needs to, and saves them when they need him most." Iroh explained.

Aang nodded, his mind racing a mile a minute as it processed these realizations and lessons. Katara had always had faith in him, from the very beginning. She knew the Avatar would come back even when no one else believed and she _knew _that he could save them all. She treated Aang like a friend and a kid, but she still believed he would save the world and restore balance. She had the most faith in him but at the same time she depended on him the most. She'd hoped blindly for so long that now that Aang was here she looked to him to help her keep hope alive.

It was the strangest and most subtle sort of dependence he'd ever heard of, people were depending on him to save the world and Katara was one of them. Letting her down would hurt her as much as burning her had so long ago.

Iroh could see the realizations as they dawned on Aang with his expressive face. He could also see the sudden determination in the boy's grey eyes, and he couldn't help but smile. "Are you ready to try again?" Iroh asked with a soft hand on Aang's shoulder.

Aang turned his huge smile on the old man and nodded emphatically.

"It'll be hard, but I think you're more than capable of it Aang." He said as he stood.

"Thank you." And they both knew he did not mean just for the faith. Iroh just smiled even wider and nodded, and when they walked in silence back to the camp it was neither awkward nor solemn.


	7. A Bouquet of Lavender

**I decided that there are some of you who have expressed...interest in guessing the meanings of the chapters, and I am selfish too, I'm enamored with reading your interpretations of the titles, so if you want to know but don't want to guess just add it at the end of your review and I'll feel free to tell you, or depending on how many people express interest in it I might post a chapter at the end or something that explains all my interpretations of the symbols in the chapter titles and other places.**

* * *

**  
**

Toph sighed and wriggled lower as inconspicuously as she could. She absolutely hated flying, but it was even worse when they were looking for something. On the ground, even in buildings she could help, but at times like this she felt as useless as she had at home, with her mother, father and all the servants doing everything for her while she served only to get underfoot. The roar of the wind in her ears and the disorienting feeling of being really and truly blind didn't help.

Appa himself wasn't so bad, it was just being up in the air she hated. She imagined that even if she could see she wouldn't like heights, there was something unnatural about being an Earthbender up in the air. She wouldn't demean herself by clinging to the saddle for dear life but she wasn't happy all the same and she wouldn't be happy until she could get back on solid ground. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she dug her fingers into her upper arms in an attempt to keep her hands from trembling in a strange combination of fear and annoyance.

She _was _worried for Aang she wasn't afraid to deny _that_ but looking from the air she was of no help and it put her on edge. She hated not being able to be of any help. Furthermore everyone was on edge without Aang there to act as the balancing force in their group. Before arguments had a playful sort of tone, and it was unspoken that they didn't really mean any harm. She would be sarcastic and so would Sokka, things tended to spill and Katara would smile in that devious way she had. Even Momo would steal small trinkets only to return them.

However without Twinkletoes around the small arguments and jokes took on a hard edge. They still didn't mean any harm, not really, but the apologies weren't there and they just got on each others nerves more and more. All of them hoped they'd find Aang soon if only to alleviate the tension.

"What's that?" Sokka's voice came suddenly from her side. She jerked and then turned to where his voice had come from.

"How should I know?" She hissed, her lips curling up in a snarl that was probably more vicious than he deserved. She heard him sigh heavily and pointed out what he'd seen—a flicker of smoke _possibly a fire—_to Katara. She felt her stomach drop out from under her and get left behind as Appa suddenly started to descend.

She felt her fingers unclench against her will and she rose slightly with nothing to hold her down. A tug on her sleeve startled her but she felt a hand around her wrist and she was tugged against the hard side she knew belonged to Sokka. "You could take us down a little slower Katara!" He shouted and she could hear the words humming through his chest.

"Firebender fires!"

Sokka twisted from where he gripped the edge of Appa's saddle and his eyes widened suddenly. The smoke he had seen was from a fire, but not a campfire like he'd originally thought. He could see brief flashes of fire that vanished and faded as quickly as they appeared and it dawned on him that the fires were those of Firebenders fighting. His heard stuttered to a stop as they burst past the tallest of the trees and saw familiar yellow and orange.

Katara's broken murmur mirrored the ones made silently by Sokka and Toph too as soon as she heard the whisper that escaped from the Water Tribe warrior who still held her. Though now it seemed less to hold her in the saddle and more to keep himself from leaping to the Airbender's rescue then and there. "Aang."

Appa landed with a mighty roar, knocking over several trees and Katara had already dismounted and had her water drawn out of the pouch she carried and it curled around her, undulating like a snake.

Sokka jumped out as well, dragging Toph along with him and releasing her the moment her bare feet sunk into the soft loamy soil that Appa had churned up with his heavy landing. Suddenly she could see again. Aang, soft and a bit blurry around the edges, only when he was actively Earthbending did his image come through clear, otherwise he always seemed to have a couple of air currents lifting him, just slightly. She didn't think he even realized it himself.

Katara's heart was pounding in her chest and she stood near Appa's great head. Sokka was a step behind her, his heart pounding but his body solid and immobile as he brandished his boomerang.

There were only two others, which was odd enough to make Toph pause and search farther out into the forest.

Katara and Sokka didn't hesitate, and even over the sound of Aang shouting they launched into battle.

Or tried to, Toph recognized the old man who had helped her when she first joined the gang instantly and she stomped her foot hard into the soil, feeling the loose topsoil squish between her toes. Katara yelped as she was lifted into the air suddenly and water rained over the entire group as she lost her concentration. It was only a second but it was enough to destroy the water whip she'd been about to attack the old man's nephew with.

Sokka shouted, and she moved aside even though she didn't understand what he'd said. His boomerang dropped and hit where she'd been standing a scant moment before with a wet thud that reverberated into her knees.

"Everyone stop!" She shouted, and for good measure sent up a rocky hand to grip the nephew too—Zuko, if she recalled the scarred ex-firenation-prince that they had told her about.

Unseen Iroh struggled to suppress a small smile. He was glad to see the young girl seemed to have come to grips with the difference between being sheltered and being helped.

"Guys!" Aang shouted happily and rushed at Toph. She held up a hand and took a step backward but it was too late and he was too quick. He pulled her into a stronger hug than he should have been able to manage and she groaned, letting go of her three captives, hoping that with Sweetness released Aang would turn his attentions onto her instead.

Her thoughts proved correct and she heard Katara grunt as the force of an excited Airbender struck her. Sokka had squared off against the prince.

Everyone seemed to realize that there wasn't a threat—or maybe the joy that they felt at having their tiny family reunited outweight the danger—but Sokka was still acting the part of silent guardian, his heart pounding, while Zuko seemed to sense the boy's hostility and sought to return it. She liked to think he was protecting his Uncle.

"I think there has been some misunderstanding here, maybe we should all sit down, and talk things out with a nice cup of tea." His stance didn't shift in the slightest, but she could feel Zuko's soft sigh at Iroh's gentle words.

"Yeah! There's a lot we need to talk about!" Aang said a little too loudly, jumping at the chance for a peaceful resolution rather than seeing this end in violence.

Toph liked the old man fine and didn't want to fight him, but at the same time she never understood why Aang always seemed so adverse to fighting. Sometimes fighting was the only way to secure peace. But that was a lesson for another day and a teacher more patient than she.

"You actually expect me to sit down and _talk _with Zuko! The guy who's been _trying to kill us!" _Sokka shouted. She could feel as Katara and he and Zuko all stiffened, ready for an attack.

"No, no calm down!" Aang tried, laughing a little breathlessly.

"Call off your protectors Avatar, that is if you don't want them getting hurt." Zuko hissed.

"He doesn't mean that," Iroh tried to assure them in his most peaceful and placating voice.

"They're _on our side!" _Aang shouted, sliding between Sokka and Zuko and holding out his hands, and in that moment he didn't look like he could stop them, he looked like a skinny little kid stepping between two older brothers about to fight.

"Aang, look I know you may _want _to believe that..." Katara started, lifting her hand to touch Aang's shoulder.

"No!" He shouted, startling Katara most of all. "Look I need to learn Firebending right? And Iroh is the greatest master, probably better than Jeong-Jeong even. Plus don't you always say that people can change?" Aang begged, pleading and praying she would understand.

"Well, I guess that's true," Katara started slowly, Toph always wondered what Aang's face looked like when he pleaded like that to always make Katara take his side. It had to be a sight to behold and she was glad that she couldn't see it at times like that.

"Katara!" Sokka whined loudly and suddenly. Toph winced at the tone of his voice, it grated on her nerves terribly. "You can't _seriously_ think that this is a good idea!"

"Well, he _does _need to be Firebending and who else are we going to get to teach him? Unless you can master Firebending overnight and teach Aang yourself I think we need to at least hear them out." Katara shouted, whirling on her brother.

Toph rolled her eyes and walked over to Iroh, she had been with the group long enough to know how this was going to end. Katara had made up her mind and Aang had made up his mind and she rather liked the decision they'd made so now it was just a matter of getting Sokka to shut up and accept it.

"Would you like some tea Toph?" Iroh asked when she was only a few steps away. She grinned and nodded gently, cracking her knuckles and rolling her shoulders. He seemed to see the same thing that she did, that the decision had already been made.

"Tea sounds good." She announced. She didn't need to even feel vibrations to know that Iroh was smiling, he was just nice like that. If he could share something he loved with someone else that was all that it took to make him happy. She liked that about him.

* * *

Aang had thought that things had been bad when the other children at the temple knew he was the Avatar; the strange side-long looks, the way all the games would stop the moment he came near. The moments following after Sokka finally stopped shouting were far worse. Iroh convinced them all to sit and eat, gathered around the fire that he'd had Aang start.

Katara sat close to Aang—something he should have enjoyed but it felt less like a girl sitting close to him and more like a guard on duty. Sokka had crushed against her other side no matter how much she asked him to sit on Aang's unguarded side.

The two of them would lull into conversations that Aang and Iroh started, and then suddenly go quiet and blue eyes would dart to Zuko as though they expected him to fall upon them like a rabid and hungry Tigerwolf the moment their guard slipped in the slightest. Zuko was still as far from them as he could manage while remaining within the soft glow of the fire and near enough to Iroh that if anything happened he could jump in and protect the old man.

Which was needless because Sokka had warmed to the old man the moment he offered them food and he'd soon charmed Katara even to the point of her giggle and blush—Aang would have been jealous if Iroh were more than just a charming old man who liked to make people smile.

But for as much as everyone seemed to instantly warm to the kind old man, they were that suspicious of Zuko.

Toph sat near Iroh and if she talked it held none of the tension that everyone else shared. Iroh was smiling and trying his best but he seemed to realize just how on edge everyone was and he seemed just a little put out that even jasmine tea couldn't smooth things over.

"Guys you really can calm down, they're not going to do anything, they really want to help." He said softly, peering at the two siblings.

"I'm sure that's true Aang, we believe you." Katara said, a smile plastered on her face. He didn't believe it for a second and it only served to depress him more. Sokka at least had the decency to make his distrust known.

"But Aang, _they're Firebenders!_" He shouted. "And on top of that they've only been chasing us since the beginning. What you think they were just going to offer you some tea when they finally caught you?" Sokka asked, his pitch rising as he spoke.

Zuko's face darkened with every word and he glowered into his empty tea cup, his hands trembled as he squeezed it to the point of nearly breaking.

"_Sokka!_" He shouted. "Just because they're Firebenders doesn't make them evil, they're trying to help us and you're not even going to try and accept them?" Aang asked.

"Aang, try to understand it's not that they're Firebenders. It's just that it's hard for Sokka--" The way she said it made it perfectly clear that she felt that way too, whether she would own up to it or not. "--To believe that Zuko would just suddenly turn around, stop hunting you, _and _offer to help. Doesn't it just seem like there could be a slim chance that this is all another plot to capture you?"

Zuko opened his mouth, smoke curling up from where he gripped the cup like a life-line while dark scorch marks slid across the surface, but Aang spoke faster. "They had already captured me! What would be the point of trying to capture me if they'd already done that?" He asked.

"Maybe they're trying to capture us too! Toph is from a wealthy family and Katara's the only woman Waterbending Master in the world." Sokka piped up, and Zuko blinked for a moment caught off guard. He had known that _Katara _had found a master to train her but had she really already advanced to being a master in her own right?

Furthermore he hadn't realized she was the only female master. He quickly glanced to his uncle, thinking only briefly that maybe the old man had had a point when he suggested Zuko learn more about the other nations so long ago.


	8. Grizzly Bear

**To Redwater whom left me no other way to answer a very good question: **I don't really have a set amount of time between updates. I try for about once a week but sometimes I have a light work week and I get distracted by spending time in the real world, or working on other stories and sometimes I sit down at my computer and all that will come out is Avatar, Avatar, and more Avatar.

But I do have the whole story planned out and so barring something really serious that's beyond my control (and that means_ "My neighbor figured out I've been using his internet connection for the last couple of months."_ Which shouldn't matter because there's wifi practically everywhere._ "My computer catching fire"_ but I have a fire extinguisher or _"dying in a horrible and probably fiery death which will inevitably begin with me saying 'Hey I've got a funny idea."_) there won't be more than two weeks between each chapter. I would like to set it up so that I update once a week on a set day, but we'll see. I hope that's quickly enough that you don't loose interest, but I am--as always--so excited to know that you like my story.

* * *

Katara didn't sleep at all that night. 

She tried and she would toss and turn and then settle in and then her eyes wouldn't close no matter how hard she tried. So she finally settled for curling up on her side and watching the shadowed lumps that were her friends, new and old. Mostly though she watched one lump in particular, Toph was in her standard little tent off to the side, and Sokka slept perpendicular to the mouth of the make-shift cave, with Aang nearby—he'd kicked off his thin sheet and stretched out his legs until he was a hairsbreadth from kicking Sokka in the nose each time he twitched--sleeping on Appa's outstretched tail. Sokka had tried to stay awake and keep an eye on things--with Toph there was no need to take turns at playing guard for the evening--and his head was still turned to look at Zuko.

Iroh was stretched out near the dying embers of the fire, he was strong enough even in sleep to keep it warm and light without getting out of control. She smiled despite herself. It had only been hours, maybe half a day, but she trusted him, and moreover _she liked him. _He was kind and funny and nothing like the scarred and selfish prince, she could hardly believe they were related at all, let alone so close as Uncle and Nephew.

Still though it was the sleeper farthest removed from the others that she had her eye on, that of the fallen prince who had haunted her nightmares both waking and otherwise for so long. She couldn't understand how someone so kind as Iroh could travel with, support and even _care _for that monster. A part of her wanted to trust him. She liked Iroh and believed in his opinion, so she wanted to trust Zuko for the old man's sake.

She just couldn't, there was something about him; she assured herself that it was his temper. She had seen just how angry he could get and all it would take was once, just once of that temper getting out of hand and someone could wind up hurt, or dead. She wasn't worried about just Aang either, though that would be the worst loss for the world. He could hurt Sokka, whom she loved even for all his many faults. Or Toph whose humor could be jarring if you weren't used to it—_Katara dreaded the first time she gave Zuko a nickname—_or Momo, any of those she held closest to her heart could be injured beyond what her powers could heal and for that she couldn't trust this dark stranger.

She tugged the edge of her sleeping bag up over her eyes and tried to will sleep to come. The logical side of her brain assured her that even Sokka was capable of holding his own against a bender. She trusted Iroh, and Iroh trusted Zuko so by that line of thinking she should trust him too.

It wasn't any consolation though and she _didn't _trust him, but finally, an uneasy sleep sneaked up on her and drew her in just as the sky started to lighten with dawn, but trust never came, and when they were loading up Appa for a day of traveling she didn't turn her back on him. She wasn't certain if there would ever come a time when she was around him that she didn't expect him to stab her in the back. Figuratively or literally.

It seemed that Sokka didn't trust him either, if Zuko was ever near enough to touch any of the group he would conveniently push between them in search of something he was certain he forgot. When the two went to fill the canteens Katara pressed Toph for answers. The first time the hadn't any leftovers in the morning Toph had made it clear that she could sense heartbeats and breathing in people enough to know if someone was lying or not. So the whole group looked to Toph to tell them whom to trust and whom to fear.

That, and they kept their leftovers out of Sokka's reach.

When they were out of ear-shot of the rest of the small camp she turned to look at the girl who could see more than any of them. "What do you see Toph?" She asked, "Is he serious, or is there something to be worried about?" They paused a moment and Toph knelt, touching her hand to the ground, and then pressing harder, hard enough to leave a tiny hand-print even in the soft moss that covered the forest floor. (1)

"I don't know. It's hard to tell with Sparky." Katara winced and lost her train of thought for a moment.

"Sparky?" Toph just shot the Waterbender one of her wicked grins, contrasted by the hushed giggle that chased the smile. Katara shook her head and sighed heavily, dropping the subject for now, besides she wasn't certain if Sparky was better or worse than any of the things Toph called the rest of them. "In all seriousness Toph, can we trust him?" She asked, holding out the canteens the Earthbender had dropped in order to touch the ground.

"Like I said: it's hard to tell with him. He's always so worked up, always ready for a fight. I just can't tell if it's with us, against us, or maybe neither. Maybe he just wants to protect his Uncle. I don't know though." She admitted, and Katara couldn't contain the soft smile that twisted the corners of her lips up. Even a few months ago Toph would never have had the courage to admit she didn't know, she'd think it was too much of a weakness and that the slightest hint of weakness would lead to her being sheltered again.

"Do you trust him?" She asked, and there was a long silence between the two, broken only by a heavy sigh much too big for such a little girl; famous Earthbender or no. They reached the stream and Toph uncorked the first canteen, holding it out while Katara bent the cool river-water into it. They had done this so many times they'd long since worked out the easiest way to complete the task.

"I don't think he's going to try to capture Aang—or any of us for that matter. But I'm not going to trust him to have my back in battle just yet." She admitted.

"So all we can really do is wait and hope that he doesn't turn and slaughter us all in our sleep." Katara murmured, frustration giving her voice a hard edge. Toph didn't need to feel the vibrations in the earth to know that Katara was frustrated that there was a possible threat to her strange little family that she could do nothing about it. Even when she wasn't certain she'd stay with the group Toph had learned several things within only a day or so of travel.

Firstly was that sometimes Aang acted like the child he was and he could have mood swings just like anyone else. She differed from Katara in that most of the time she just ignored him when he got in one of his few foul moods while Sweetness always tried to calm him down.

The second thing she learned was that it was always funny to play tricks on Sokka no matter the gravity of whatever situation they were in, and that everyone agreed it was funny. Expect of course Sokka but no one cared what he thought.

The third thing was that Katara would do anything for you once she saw you as family. She was like the Cobraswans back home, they would face down anything that harmed their mate or their ducklings even if it killed them without thought or effort. Mind you Katara didn't have a scaled hood to raise or wings to spread, but she'd still fight and she still made a formidable opponent. (2)

"I think that if he snapped and started attacking us that Iroh would side with us." Toph murmured softly. Katara stared at her for a long moment. "At least with that knowledge you should be able to sleep."

"How did you know?"

"You have bags under your eyes." Toph could see her image of Katara touch her face and couldn't repress the snort any longer. Katara squawked indignantly—which was all the funnier—and shoved Toph lightly.

"To-oph!" Toph's name always managed to gain an extra syllable when Katara was annoyed. All the same the shout was good-natured now, Sweetness was still wary and on edge but at least she seemed back to her old self for the most part and that's just what Toph had been hoping for.

The laughter was short-lived though. Neither of them trusted the young Firebender and it left them not knowing what they were supposed to do next, and that was something neither of them liked.

* * *

Aang frowned as he watched the group settle in for dinner and another night camping in the forest. They didn't have a specific destination yet, but he knew as well as any of them that staying in one place for too long was tempting Azula to catch them. So while he learned to master the other elements they were trying to move around as much as possible. 

Still, they could have been trying to get along at least a little. Every few moments someone would shoot a dark look at Zuko, who was already sitting as far away from the others as he could, and then glance back to their work quickly as though they were trying to pretend they hadn't just looked. And even though Toph didn't need to look around to see everything around her, she did seem to make certain there was a good amount of distance between herself and the young man.

Enough distance to give her a chance to take the offensive if a fight were to break out.

Aang's heart wrenched in his chest and he wondered if maybe they had been wrong when they said he was the Avatar. He was supposed to solve people's problems when they couldn't solve them alone, but if this was an example of the work that he would face he didn't think he'd be very good.

He honestly believed that Zuko was on their side, and he honestly believed that the boy was trying to do good and atone for his past deeds, something everyone should be allowed to do.

However Aang understood his friends' reluctance to trust Zuko. He _had _chased them for so long and he _had _nearly killed them on several occasions. He was quick to anger and he was dangerous with his bending skills even if he wasn't actually a master. For so long he was the face they saw leading the Fire Nation troops that they faced.

It seemed as though everyone was right and justified, so whom was he supposed to convince to change their position? He sighed heavily and wondered if it was too soon to burden Iroh with more of his troubles and seek advice from the old man who was so like Gyatso.

He didn't think there was a right answer though. He thought that maybe things had to work themselves out and honestly that's what scared him the most. If there wasn't any way he could help than this tense air that had settled over the camp would remain until something snapped. And considering two of the group were master benders, one was trained by a master bender and one was Sokka he wasn't certain just what would happen no matter whom it was that snapped.

Nor was he certain that he would take the fair and justified side over simply taking Katara's side.

* * *

(1) I know that—strange as it may seem to me—I get readers from all over. So I thought I'd explain this one just in case. There are climates that promote the growth of a type of moss over the forest's floor rather than grass or deciduous materials. It's pretty cool. My gran's whole backyard was like that when I was growing up and it's so incredibly cool.

(2) Okay well I do try to combine animals like the brilliant writers of the show do but I thought I'd let the geek in me have a turn and explain that both Cobras and Swans will do this. If their children or their mates are threatened they'll fight anything, and there have been documented cases where when one swan dies the other lays down and dies as well. From a broken heart the romantics will say. That would be an example of just how much time I waste watching animal planet.


	9. Nasturtium

**I am a terrible person and this chapter took forever to come out and I'm sorry! Pardon me while I weep brokenly. Naw, you all know me better than that, but I do feel bad after I'd just said how I was going to try and make the updates come every Friday. Well, I'm still trying I just have less faith in that deadline actually working.**

**Okay, so I wanted to point out that the ages they assign the characters are sort of obscure as is the actual time-frame for the show. So I am going to do this. I assume that at the start of the show they are all their ages as listed on standard sites. (Katara being 14, Aang being 12, Zuko being 17 and we'll call Sokka 16 but I don't think they list his age.) Then please do me a favor and assume that the first season was close enough to a year of time that they've all aged one year. Okay, with that hideously long and annoying bit out of the way:**

**Be brutally honest about the chracterizations at the end of this chapter. I'm stretching the characters and playing with them but I want to keep them the characters we love so did I manage that? I want to know what you, the reader, thinks. And no worries if you tell me I fail and I suck I'm not going to accost you, just ask AzureAquarius I am a nutjob but I'm kinda nice too aren't I? Okay so maybe not nice...but I'm too lazy to hunt you down and drink your soul.**

**EDIT:**

**I fixed some issues, please enjoy this -- more coherent -- version!**

* * *

Even as a child Zuko had always relished his meditation time, but, especially after his banishment it was the only time when he could truly be calm. It didn't seem to help his Firebending the way it helped Azula and he wasn't certain any amount of meditation would help him achieve lightning, the time was still important to him. Now even more than ever before, now surrounded by people who didn't trust him no matter what he did or how hard he tried or how many things he did to prove himself.

He sat with his back to a tree and the camp near but out of sight. Iroh was happy, he enjoyed being able to teach the Avatar and he seemed to get along well with the others so well. And none of them ever shouted at him or treated him with anything more than respect and kindness. It was what Iroh deserved more than anything else.

The old man had followed him so patiently for so long and put up with Zuko's foulest moods, and now he was training the Avatar and he had people who enjoyed his tea and laughed with him and enjoyed his rambling tales. Toph would even go shopping with him and somehow—he'd never inquired as to how, not that they would tell him if he did—she could tell when they were lying and that meant his Uncle could drive the price even lower and buy even more.

The whole group enjoyed shopping with him at every new town they came to in their aimless quest to avoid Azula and her troops. They seemed more suited to the old man than Zuko was. He snorted and tilted his head, unable to drown out the noise coming from the happy people around the fire.

They didn't trust him. They didn't laugh like that and let go like that when he was there. No one seemed happy with him around and none of them trusted him, and he wasn't certain he blamed them for that. They had every right not to trust him and that rankled him even worse than the fact they didn'ttrust him in the slightest.

He clenched his hands, balling them into the soft, worn fabric of his pants and—he was certain—leaving bruises on his knees. It seemed like his life had taken a turn for the worse somewhere long ago and that he'd never been able to get it back on track, Iroh had been filling his head with notions of redemtion for so long that he had almost begun to believe the old man, he'd come to think that if he made the "right" choce and joined the Avatar and helped the little boy and his silly friends that it would atone for the sins of his past and things would start to work for him again. Maybe he'd even find a shred or two of real happiness.

However all that happened was he sat in the shadows quietly and short of Iroh everyone looked at him as though at any minute he'd stand up, unsheathe his swords and slaughter the lot of them. They had no reason to trust him, he could see that now, but they were supposed to. He wanted to make amends and they were supposed to be grateful and accept him with open arms.

If he couldn't make amends for what he had done, what was the point of trying? What was the point of suffering inane chatter about whose turn it was to cook and who was to wash the dishes? Why did he have to put up with doing a share of the work when inevitably one of them wouldn't carry their weight because they were too busy making sure he didn't abscond with Aang or poison their food or something equally ridiculous and unlikely.

He released the grip he held and tried to steady his breathing once more. Some Firebender, he was never going to master Lightning if he couldn't even stay calm for more than a few moments at a time. Uncle was always trying to teach him to think things through and he'd been certain that he finally had the hang of it when he made the choice to join forces with the Avatar, but it seemed like he'd only fixed half the problem. There was still the problem of getting them to trust him when he had no way of actually proving that he had no intention of harming any of them, except for possibly Sokka who was easily the most grating of the bunch, the others at least tried to be subtle with their distrust but that supposed Warrior wouldn't stop shouting at every little thing.

There were times Zuko wanted nothing more than to bludgeon him with his own boomerang, but that was hardly a display of good intentions.

_It does manage to make me smile though. _He thought to himself as the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. He could feel a soft chuckle burbling up in his throat though but he suppressed that: no doubt if he started laughing Sokka would claim that was condemning evidence that Zuko was hatching nefarious schemes rather than really meditating.

Though meditating didn't seem to be what he was doing anyway. All he was doing was sitting on the hard ground in the dark and listening to the fireside chatterings of people who could make peace and friends more easily than he could ever dream of, his mother would call it sulking. But all that thought served to do was send a sharp stand of pain through his heart that he'd long thought dead.

* * *

"Just like everything else in our world it is about balance." Iroh said, smiling into his bowl of soup and winking at Katara across the fire. She laughed. "A man can live on dried meats—or raw vegetables" he added with a glance at Aang, "From here until the end of time if he has enough spices to add into the mix." 

"Well this is certainly better than what Katara normally cooks!" Sokka announced, taking a great gulp of the broth.

"Better than what you'd manage." She growled.

"Hey, I gather the food and you cook it, that's the way it's always been." He was careful not to mention that cooking was a woman's task, he'd learned his lesson when it came to that, but at the same time he wasn't about to go out and start cooking.

"Because you do such a lovely job of gathering food for us don't you Sokka." She said, getting that sly look on her face that always seemed to foretell trouble in his future; even if he still didn't believe in fortunetelling. He tried to think of something—anything—to say to deter this conversation because he knew it could be going no where good.

"Might I remind you of the nuts that looked like rocks?" She asked, her voice all soft and coy.

"The ones that ended up _actually being _rocks?" Aang asked, joining in on teasing Sokka, like always. Of course now there was Toph and Iroh to laugh along with them and he could only sit there and be grateful that _they _had yet to know anything terribly embarrassing about him that they could bring up at a time like this. That knowledge did not stop him from pouting in the slightest.

"Who needs to hunt!" Iroh offered, "You can travel the world on the back of such a wonderful creature as Appa, you can find anything you need in the markets of the towns you pass." Katara laughed behind one hand and Toph just shook her head.

They didn't mind the old man's habit when he always managed to have more than enough for food and he always managed to make a little bit of money off Pai Shao. On occasion they could even convince him to sell the trinkets he'd procured in another town. That didn't mean that they wanted another of the creepy trinkets he managed to always find. Toph was spared the horror of seeing some of them but she wasn't spared having to find new and interesting ways to fit all his things, plus the six of them on the saddle which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller as time passed.

"But eventually Sokka wastes all our money on _matching bags _ and then we have to hunt or starve." Katara pointed out and Sokka glowered at her and tugged his bag closer to him, cuddling it to his chest as though to protect it or him from his sister's criticism.

"It doesn't match anymore, I took my belt back remember?" Toph was quick to interject, which lead to them sharing the story of how they met Toph to Iroh, who had only heard one part of it when he offered her council so long ago.

"How do you know so much about the other Nations? I thought the Fire Nation wasn't big on other cultures." Sokka blurted.

"Sokka!" Katara's voice rose in pitch, taking on that motherly tone she could manage so well. Aang had the decency to look embarrassed on Sokka's behalf and Toph just leaned back and waited, she was a bit curious herself and even if it was too soft to hear she could feel the vibrations of the soft chuckle rumbling in Iroh's large chest. He wasn't offended and so she'd wait and listen to his answer.

"Do not trouble yourself about it Katara." In the beginning he had only ever referred to her as Lady Katara but she'd taken to him quickly and insisted that he was a good enough friend there was no need to address her so formally. "It is true that many people from my country don't pay proper respect to the other cultures, but that just makes it all the more important for some of us to try." He smiled in that soft way he had. He was still happy and smiling Iroh but he was also serious.

Katara liked that about him, it reminded her of her mother in a way, even when she was being the Chief's wife she had a smile in the corner of her mouth and a soft little glimmer in her eye. She always tried to emulate that when she had to try and keep their group together, but when she was a child she hadn't ever realized how difficult it was, and those who had it, like her mother and Iroh, made it look so easy.

"It was before I was known as the Dragon of the West and before I was a general even. I was just a soldier like anyone else and I believed everything we had been taught from a young age." His smile turned a tad nostalgic and Katara and Sokka shared a furative glance that spoke volumes between them. "I ran the supply caravan. We were heading to a Fort—I don't even remember which one—to pick up food and medical supplies. That was many years ago when there was an illness going around and so it was understood that medical supplies wouldn't be interrupted. But cruelty can run both ways. A renegade group of Earthbending soldiers thought similarily to you Sokka, they felt that the Fire Nation would have attacked them if they were running supplies and so it was perfectly okay for them to attack us.

"We were bound and gagged and kept off to the side, and whatever supplies they didn't need for their own troops were destroyed, and then they brought down a landslide upon us and left us there to die. Most of them did, I was told later. I don't recall much beyond the sound of rocks tumbling down and men wailing. Then I remember waking up in a small tent that smelled strongly of herbs. I had thought they were just a story really and that maybe I was simply hallucinating. I was in a camp of rebels from all the Nations, Fire included, and I stayed with them for long months while I healed broken bones and I learned from them. The only thing that made you better or worse in that camp was your skill at whatever task you took on, not what your element was or even if you were a bender or not. It was an interesting time for me to say the least and I learned a lot about cooking and camping and healing. But when I could finally walk around I saw a Waterbender teaching an Earthbender movements.

"It was interesting to see to say the least and that was what I really took away. All our bending styles are different and we are only so good as our mastery of not only our Element but our ability to use our element to the best of our abilities. I learned to watch other benders and learn things and create new moves. I would not be able to redirect Azula's lightning if I hadn't watched Waterbenders and if I didn't know how important keeping a firm base and staying in touch with the basics and the ground were to Earthbenders I wouldn't be nearly so strong as people say I am." He stared side-long at Aang.

"And if I hadn't seen how the Airbenders could have the power that they did and still seek peaceful resolutions to situations and still enjoy life I would be the poorer for it." He finished, a grin spread so wide on his face that it might have cracked in two.

"Airbenders?" Aang asked perking up, forgetting anything that had been said before that one word. Katara's heart broke for him. There _were _no more Airbenders but still his hopes always raised so high whenever there was any—even a meager little shred—hope that there was even one other Airbender he would hope. Hope so desperately. She didn't know how to help him.

"This was a long time ago Aang. But the world needs all four elements to be in Balance. The world is falling out of balance—true—but there is a balance to fall out of place. I cannot imagine that we could have that without all four elements." Aang's face took on a strange look and Iroh wasn't certain that he had helped in the way he meant to, Aang shared that with Zuko he only seemed to hear the things that would give him the outcome he wanted. But it was the truth and a start.

The memories had been stirred up now though, like a child stirring up an Antbeetle mound with a stick, and he could recall the warm times, and the soft and quiet times, and he could recall when the Fire Nation troops had found the small camp. He could recall the moment they had seen Iroh and recognized him as the Heir Apperant to the Fire Nation thrown.

Forevermore he could hear the screams and smell the smoke, the burning herbs; most of all the ashes from the burned linen tents that filled the air and choked him.

_And he could hear the screaming_. Screaming and screaming and echoing back upon him a thousand times over in his memories.

They had only wanted to inspire peace, they had wanted to live together and show the world that the four elements, the four nations _could _live in peace. That was all they wanted and they had tried to help a young Fire Nation soldier, they didn't know he was next in line for the throne. They didn't harm him, they didn't even shout at him, but they had died for him, they had died because they saved his life.

The young children running around barefoot, those who could bend and those who couldn't it didn't matter, they all tumbled about in the dirt and giggled. The mothers who cared for all the children, the fathers who protected everyone. They had all died, none of them had been spared.

There were no Airbenders left of that group, and he wasn't as certain as he acted that there were any Airbenders left _anywhere. _He just didn't know how to tell such a hopeful child that when the weight of the world already rested on his shoulders.


	10. Titan Arum

**Please don't kill me for the contents of this chapter, if you do, you'll never see what comes next. **

**Also, HA HA! This is totally out on time!**

* * *

Zuko caught Iroh's sleeve as the old man passed, following the others into town for supplies. They were at another in a long line of small farming communities, with barely enough food for the people in them. But they needed food and they needed to avoid towns large enough to send news to Azula.

"Uncle." His voice was soft and serious. It reminded Iroh so much of Ursa, when he saw her first after her marriage to Ozai. No longer the soft-spoken and smiling young woman that both boys had known since childhood. She was fit as well as Ila to be the wife of the Fire Lord in that moment. It had startled him so at the time and set him on edge.

Iroh wasn't certain he'd ever heard Zuko sound so serious and so like a leader. No longer was it about what Zuko wanted or needed or desired, and you could hear it in his voice. The sorrow at letting go of the things he wanted in favor of what was best for everyone else, for those he _could _help.

Iroh was glad to see Zuko growing, becoming the sort of leader Iroh knew he could be, but the sorrow in those light gold eyes worried his old heart and chilled him to his bones.

"Uncle." Zuko started again. "There is a large town, on the other side of that hill, I remember it," the soft smile didn't reach his eyes. "you insisted on going to their festival." Iroh nodded, urging the boy on even if he wasn't certain he liked where this was going. "We'll travel there next. They," He jerked his head in the direction of the small group, Toph was pointing and laughing at something Sokka had done and Katara was shaking her head while Aang was laughing and playing with a group of dirty children even younger than he. "they won't listen if I suggest it but they'll listen to you. We'll go there next and I'll leave. I can vanish in a town of that size and it will be one less mouth for their meager savings."

"No!" Iroh burst out before he could stop himself.

"Yes. They'll be glad to be rid of me. I'm nothing more than fire-breathing scum. The waterbender has hardly slept a wink since I've been here and her idiot brother is going to break his neck if he keeps glancing over his shoulder like that."

"Aang needs to learn Firebending, you said that yourself. _And it was right!" _Iroh wished he knew that magic words that would make everything alright, but he wasn't certain any amount of power could do that.

"He does. You'll teach him still and he will be happier, they all will. They _like _you." Zuko tried to scoff but Iroh could hear the pained undercurrent. It was the same the prince's voice had held after his father banished him, after Azula tried to arrest him.

"They'll like you too if you give them a chance."

"It is a lie, they would never. I will never be more than a Firebender, than Prince Zuko the Banished and the Scarred to them. They've taken to you though, you can make them laugh and smile and put them at ease." he snorted. "You're good at that."

"It only takes a smile." Zuko raised one eyebrow and said nothing for a long moment.

"I've already made up my mind. Besides they can hardly support the beast they ride on, let alone six mouths, seven if you count that rat with wings." Iroh couldn't help but laugh at that. Momo had tried once to perch on Zuko like he did with the others, but neither had come away from the experience unscathed. "They could do with less troubles. I wanted to help the Avatar and this is how I can be of help. I am not a great Firebender. They have no need for me."

Iroh recalled Toph's words from that day so long ago—it seemed like ages ago—and took a deep breath. "_I _need you." He whispered, grabbing Zuko's shoulders and giving him a good, hard, shake. As though that would make him believe.

Zuko's mouth twisted up into a sad sort of smile.

"We will see one another again, someday." The words were empty and useless and both of the men knew it. "I'll stay until the next town. They must see me off or they'll think it's only a trick to capture the Avatar." He looked off and then back. "Well, they'll think that anyway. But I could do with another night or two to say goodbye, it is not often I am treated like a prince _and _an outcast at the same time."

"Aang will be sad to see you go."

"Maybe. But it would surprise me if he even noticed I was gone the way he's always mooning over the Waterbender."

"Zuko..."

"Iroh!" Katara panted lightly, having just run up to them. "We were worried, you fell behind." She told him, keeping one eye focused on Zuko. Was it really just his smile? Just that he was willing to smile and laugh and joke with them that they could forgive him the crime they hated Zuko for? Or was it something more. For Sokka it might be the stigma that being a Firebender carried and it might be the fact that he cooked that made Iroh safe in the boy's eyes.

Toph saw more than any of them, even the old general, but she was wary of Zuko, and maybe she had a right to be. With his temper it would take only one mistake and someone like Toph or Sokka who couldn't Bend at all would be done for.

Or maybe it was simply that it had been Zuko who had hunted them. Other than faceless soldiers that had attacked them along the way and Azula and her friends Zuko was the only Firebender they had directly fought and that carried a special stigma all of it's own. They could possibly forgive him one day for being different, just as they had forgiven Iroh and come to trust him even though he wielded the most unruly of the elements.

They couldn't trust him until he proved worthy of their trust, but Zuko wanted nothing to do with _earning _trust. Begging and groveling for it like some peasant. He had done that with Ozai for most of his life and it had never worked, he had no reason to believe it would work now.

Iroh wasn't even certain if there was any deed large enough to wipe their slate clean, to make them forget the pain and suffering Zuko had directly caused in their lives. It was a hard sin to atone for and Zuko wanted little to do with atonement, it was a weakness in the world in which he had been raised. As much as it pained Iroh maybe there was no way to reconcile the differences between Aang and his friends and Zuko.

Iroh felt his shoulders sag and he waved Katara on, murmuring softly:

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm old and I seem to tire out rather easily these days, Zuko was just being kind and keeping an old man company while he rested. I'll catch up with you and the others in a few moments." Katara looked disbelieving, but she nodded warily and trotted off to where Sokka was standing with one hand on Toph's shoulder and one hand on his boomerang. The Earthbender looked annoyed at this development, but she also looked just a little bit wary.

Katara passed the two of them, and Toph shook off Sokka's hand and followed after her, leaving Sokka to run and catch up. "They'll be happier without me." There was a note of hurt buried in the simple statement.

"You have to give them time to warm up to you, trust is not something that comes overnight." Iroh pointed out, wishing that he could change Zuko's mind, if no other time than in this one thing.

"They like you, they'll take good care of you and probably treat you better than I do. I can take care of myself Uncle." Zuko assured the older man.

"I know you can Prince Zuko." And Iroh bowed his head ever so slightly, turning away and walking slowly toward the town. He wasn't going to change Zuko's mind and while he wanted his nephew with him and he didn't want the two of them to separate, the decision showed true thought and consideration on Zuko's part. He wasn't certain he wanted to discourage that sort of thing in the young prince by begging him to reconsider.

Zuko closed his eyes and turned away breathing long and low through his nose. Why did it seem that the "right" decisions were harder to make and hurt more than the poor decisions made for selfish reasons? He recalled the town well, and it was a good size to disappear into: large enough that even someone _scarred _like him could disappear, but small enough that they might not receive word about the scarred and banished prince with a price on his head.

It wasn't anything like what he wanted for himself, he _wanted _to regain his honor, but the only way to do that was to help the Avatar. And the way to do that was apparently to stay far, far away from the young boy and his distrustful friends. There was the familiar anger, burning away furiously in his chest, but he would prove to Iroh that he listened to the old man's lessons on occasion. He would ignore the anger in favor of _knowing _that he was doing the right thing.

The little group wanted nothing to do with him. The Earthbender and the Waterbender were needed to train the Avatar just like Iroh was, and the _warrior _Sokka was there because the Waterbender was probably spoiled with love and needed her family.

Zuko didn't _need _anyone and he wasn't needed there, so he'd leave. He was only getting in the way as it was.

He had been cast out of his first home and he'd left behind his first family with his head hung in shame, but this—his second family—one he would leave willingly, on his own and with his head held high. He would not scramble for a place in it if they did not want him, and he would make a new life for himself. If no one could accept him he would accept no one.

* * *

They had not taken well to the idea of passing near Qu-gong, citing that it was too large and word of Aang would spread too quickly and endanger them all. When Zuko stepped up and explained that he wished to leave the group, and this was the best place for him to vanish they changed their mind quickly. 

Aang had the decency to at least half-heartedly try and talk Zuko into staying. The two girls were silent but both smacked Sokka when he scoffed "good riddance." They did share a quiet look that seemed almost like they were relaxing after being on constant guard for too long. Zuko was certain that the Waterbender would finally be able to sleep now that he was gone.

"If that's really what you want." Aang murmured, glancing around at his friends, as though thinking that _surely _one of them would speak up if he just pleaded enough with those big gray eyes of his. He might have been surprised at their silence, but Zuko was not. Iroh merely looked disappointed. The little lemur floated down from the trees and landed on the monk's bald head, looking around for a moment and then hissing at Zuko before skittering off again.

"It is my decision." Zuko answered. They were packing up, intending to move on yet again, trying to stick to small towns, but it seemed as though they were all willing enough to make the minor detour that the one-time prince had suggested.

_Anything to be rid of him_ it seemed, though he supposed he shouldn't blame them so much as he did. He had done nothing else aside from chasing them for so long, nearly capturing them or killing them several times. If he was honest with himself he wouldn't trust someone like him to join his uncle and he in their travels.

That didn't help any with the pain of another rejection by another family.

They packed up Appa faster than ever before and were in the air within only a few moments. Aang sat on the beast's head, veering off toward the town. Toph was sandwiched between the two Watertribe peasants, and Iroh sat next to Zuko.

"You could change your mind." He offered, his voice cracking ever-so-slightly. "It might break Sokka's heart. But they will grow to like you." Iroh assured him quietly. Zuko just shot a look that said it all. His mind was made up and it pained both of them, but this was what he would do.

They landed far enough from town that no one saw Appa, but close enough that it wouldn't be too long a walk for Zuko.

Iroh wanted to walk Zuko into town and he didn't have the strength or the desire to turn the old man down. The old man—in one of the few instances that really made Zuko question his sanity—invited Katara and Toph along, insisting that he would need an escort back and who better than two lovely ladies.

Zuko never understood that, Toph was too young to really be considered a young lady and she seemed the least likely person in the world to _want _to be called lovely. Katara might be old enough, but he wasn't certain she was what you would call lovely...or even pretty.

With the two of them going, Aang and Sokka insisted on coming and so it went from him leaving quietly and with dignity to the whole group walking him off—as though making sure he left and stayed gone.

At least it offered to remind him that this was the right idea and he shouldn't be doubting himself. The walk was awkward and miserable at best, filled with the mistrust he was—sadly—starting to get used to around these people.


	11. The Apple of Sodom

**Posting this early. (You hear that? Not only did I make my self-imposed deadline, but I made it EARLY!) Consider it a gift to all of you for the massive FLOOD of reviews.  
**

**I got more reviews on that last chapter than any other, over double the previous "highest reviewed" chapter! So yay! I'm so glad you all like it that much! And many of you said so many lovely and fabulous things. But this chapter is--in the end--dedicated to Wren Sharpbeak whose review seemed to come before I'd even finished posting the new chapter. I've never gotten a review so fast before!**

**Thanks Wren Sharpbeak! Hope you enjoy this chapter! (I hope you all do for that matter!) **

**And while I will never hold chapters hostage for reviews I do have to admit it felt really good to hear from so many of you!**

* * *

The town had never been terribly large. It was less of a town and more of a center point to several large and well-to-do Earth Kingdom farms. A place for market days. Then a Blacksmith had built his shop there, ready to shoe any Ostrich-horses that might need it. A butcher had a similar idea and settled there, buying and selling meat from the farms and then reselling it to the others. From there the town had grown into something that could _almost _be called a city. There were even two inns and a tea house that eventually settled down. 

When the war started to spread to even the great Earth Kingdom cities and more and more people were left homeless the town became a strange mush of shops and houses, growing haphazardly and in all directions. But the people were kind and helped each other as much as they could. No one would notice one more refugee, even if he _was _scarred, many of them were. Battle scars were nothing new anywhere anymore.

The small group still traveled in a silence that could only be considered awkward. It was more akin to a funeral procession. Or more appropriately a man being led to the gallows. The air was still and hot, settling over them like an old blanket. Toph and Katara kept sharing small and guilty looks. They trusted Iroh and Iroh trusted Zuko and this _should _be wrong. Just like they s_hould _try to stop it. But trusted or not he was too temperamental and how could they _know _that he wouldn't snap? What if one day he woke on the wrong side of the bed and Sokka said just the wrong thing or the food was just a little burned? Who could say he wouldn't turn around and slaughter them all before anyone could stop him?

Sokka was whistling a gaily and walking at the back of the procession, as far from Katara and Toph as he could get. If he walked near Katara she had the decency to smack him or Toph would make the earth ripple beneath his fit and trip him up. From beside Sokka, Aang kept making small and annoyed noises in his throat and sending mournful looks to whomever would meet his eyes. Whenever Zuko saw this it was all he could do to stop himself from snorting. Some Avatar if the boy actually thought that was going to work. You couldn't just send people reproachful looks and _hope _they changed whatever it was you disliked. You had to stand up for yourself, tell them they were wrong and show them the _right _thing.

And this was the boy upon whose shoulders rested the weight of the world?

Iroh walked silently by Zuko in the middle of the silent group, his head held high, his shoulders stiff and his back straight. His eyes betrayed how sad he was. Why did it have to be now of all times that Zuko started taking responsibility and trying to actively think about things and fix what was wrong after careful consideration?

When Toph stopped suddenly Katara stopped as well, looking to the smaller girl with a question on her lips. It was halted when the blind girl raised a finger to her lips. Iroh managed to stop in time—he was walking as slowly as he could manage anyway—and Zuko nearly tripped over his own feet but he managed to stop. Aang shot a small puff of air to assist in stopping but Sokka slammed straight into Zuko and nearly knocked the both of them to the ground. A fight would have erupted if not for Toph who whirled around.

"Both of you _be quiet!_" She shouted, and it might not have had anything to do with her talent at Earthbending at all that the ground seemed to shake. She turned back and knelt, rocking forward on the balls of her bare feet and pressing her hand into the dry dirt, pressing hard enough to leave a small indentation of her small hand.

Everyone stared. Nervous and curious all at once.

Sokka cradled his boomerang in his hands, the soft leather on the handle creaking ever-so-slightly as he shifted his grip nervously.

Katara had uncapped her water-skin and held it in one hand gently.

"There's something up ahead." Toph murmured at long last. "I don't know for sure...I don't think it's good." She took a long, deep breath and coughed. The others all mirrored the action and smelled what she had.

The air that had been hot and dry all day had taken on a smoky taste. The sort when the ash from burning homes is carried on a weak breeze. They shared a glance and almost as one they rushed forward the last few steps out of the forest.

The town of Qui-Gong rolled with the hills around it, but the unofficial center of the town was in the little valley between the hills, and from where the group stood they could see it with altogether too much clarity.

Three great, black plumes of smoke curled into the air from different parts of the town, undulating on the breeze and growing thicker and darker with every second. They were like great black monsters out of some children's story. The taste of smoke and ash was stronger here, almost unbearable, and carried with it was the soft buzzing of distant screams.

Aang was the first to jump into action. He knocked his staff hard on the ground and with a whoosh his glider was open. He shot the group a look with hard, grey eyes and then took off, sailing toward the down and vanishing as he shot into yet another dark plume of smoke.

"We've got to help." Sokka said, his voice more serious than Zuko would have thought it could be, "Let's go." Katara and Toph nodded, agreeing with him. Toph and Sokka rushed down the hill and Katara started after them and then stopped for a moment and turned back to Iroh and Zuko. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it and ran off without saying anything.

Zuko rushed after her. If this was to be his new home he would not see it burn without lifting a hand to help. Even though he removed his swords while he ran he was still able to easily overtake her and soon ran only a step or two ahead of her.

Before they could reach the town proper they collided with a group of soldiers who had ganged up on the Blacksmith. A large man with huge arms. He hadn't any bending power and only one leg. He had a strange sort of cane attached to the stump that was left of his leg and with both hands expertly wielded a hammer that Katara was certain had to way more than she did.

There was a smear of soot across his leather apron and a cut above one eye bled heavily, obscuring his vision. Katara had only the water in her pouch but with an expert whip she managed to knock two soldiers off their Ostrich-Horses allowing her to take a place beside the Blacksmith. Zuko threw himself at the others that were left.

Katara hesitated only a moment before she turned her back to the fighting and healed the cut above the man's eye as well as a burn she found on his side.

He thanked her with a curt nod and adjusted his grip on the huge hammer that bore the marks of a thousand jobs. He instantly took a place at Zuko's side, fighting with him as thought they had been friends for ages, as though he trusted the young man with his life.

Katara didn't have time to be startled but she tucked it back into her mind to deal with later. She moved on instead, fighting in a manner that would make even the most doubting member of her tribe certain that she deserved the title of both Master and Warrior.

At times like this their group always seemed to shatter. Aang would take on as many as he could, usually from the air, as quickly as he could. Sokka would stick beside Katara and Toph as much as he could. Katara was never certain if this was because a part of him would always look at women as weaker; as something that needed to be protected. Or maybe it was just his way. Like a parent that always treated their children like children, no matter how old they got.

Maybe the reason it was only her and Toph that saw his protection was because Aang always seemed to be separate from them. No matter how like family they were in times of peace when it came to fighting Aang was in a whole other place it seemed.

She fought hard with what little water she had and it wasn't until the soldiers were fewer and farther between that she came face to face with a group of Firebenders, and her water was steam in mere moments.

"Katara!" She heard the shout as she stood there, a shield of water that may have been only a mouthful or two if she were to measure it.

She turned to see Zuko, he had somehow come to be on the roof of a nearby building. His swords in his hands a testimony to how hard he had fought. She thought that was why she could never fight with a weapon, at the end of the day the water didn't remind her of the battles she fought with it and the lives she hurt.

He was caught up in a fight with what looked to be a general and when she looked he kicked a bucket she couldn't see from her position on the ground, and water arched through the air, sending dozens of stars flying in the light for a moment and then it was bent to her will and she was fighting once more.

It was odd. In the moment she had no doubt in Zuko. There was him and there was her and there was no question that they were on the same team.

Again it was something she had no time for and it got shoved into a shadowy corner of her mind while she fought with her new supply of water. And it was enough to allow her to fight her way to the center of the town, and she stood balanced on the rim of the well and she was unstoppable.

The well was deep, the water was cool and she could not be bested no matter how many approached her.

She could feel the earth shake under her feet and knew it was Toph, and on occasion a mountain of rock would shoot into the sky and tumble to the ground and she would know that Toph was well. To comfort herself she imagined Sokka fighting beside her.

Sokka might always look at her as a weak woman, and think that he had to protect her, but she couldn't blame him. She would always look at him as a weak non-bender, and think that she had to protect _him. _

Then there were no more soldiers and people were peering out of shuttered windows and slinking hesitantly into the streets. Unsure at first and then cheering louder and louder as they realized they were safe once more.

Katara jumped down and walked through the streets, healing the minor injuries she could find and putting out fires with the water she brought with her.

Then the cheers turned to jeers. Sokka was at her side, his eyes dark. "What's going on?" She asked him, and before he could answer a woman beside them grinned at them with a smile that had more gaps than teeth.

"There's one Firebender yet! We will teach him a lesson. A lesson!" She cackled. "We are not benders, but we can protect ourselves!" She shouted and other people took up the cheer.

"_A lesson! A lesson!" _

Katara felt fear twist in her stomach though she could not have said why and she looked to Sokka. "Protect themselves. I don't think hardly a handful help fight off the soldiers." He grumbled. But the worry was still hot and acidic in her stomach and she pushed herself through the crowd, shoving aside people she had tried to heal moments before.

It was back at the well, the Blacksmith she had first helped was leaning on his hammer, his wooden leg burnt away. Her breath caught in her throat. With his arms bound behind him, kneeling in the mud left behind from Katara's Waterbending was Zuko, battered, beaten and broken. No longer could she see the haughty prince that had dangled her mother's necklace before her and offered it in return for Aang. Now there was just a broken young man who had been just as hurt by the Fire Nation as anyone else.

"What are you doing?" She asked, running up and grabbing the man's enormous arm. She couldn't fit her hands around it.

"He's a Firebender! We're going to show him a thing or two about picking on innocent people!" The man told her, preaching it to the whole of the gathered crowd.

"He _helped _you!" She reminded him. And he started to hobble away from Zuko. Katara realized that the rope around his wrists trailed behind him to a hitch meant for Ostrich-Horses. "You fought beside him!"

"All the more reason! He dared pretend to be our friend!" The man smiled down at Katara and rested his massive and calloused hand on her head in a manner that could have been considered fatherly. "You can't trust Firebenders." He told her, as though it were something _everyone _should know. And then she yelped in surprise as the big blacksmith bent and lifted a rock from the ground. Nothing large, it would have been small enough to fit in the palm of Katara's hand. But he whipped it with amazing force and when it hit Zuko's shoulder it made a crack loud enough to make Katara gasp.

She felt sick and acted before she could even stop her head from spinning at the sight of Zuko's face, devoid of all pride and nothing more than a twist of pain and shame.

She rushed to him, taking up a place in front of him, and nearly endless supply of water in the well rose at her slight command, circling them. She was covered in soot and sweat, and her hair was loose and there was a cut still untreated on her leg, leaving a dark stain on her pants. But she looked every bit the part of an angry Waterbending Master.

The entire crowd took and unconscious step backwards.

"How dare you attack an unarmed man! He fought beside you!_ For you!" _She shouted, and behind her Zuko looked up at her back with something akin to wonder. He seemed as surprised as the villagers.

"He's a Firebender!" A woman hidden in the throng of people shouted. Brave in her anonymity. "You can't trust them!"

"And I am a Waterbender!" Katara roared, and for a moment Zuko wondered where the peasant in her had gone. "This man risked his life for your people and fought bravely beside your own! Yet you will turn on him because he is a Firebender? You are no better than they are if you are so scared and stupid that you see a criminal where there is a hero!" With a flick of her wrist a curl of water turned to ice and severed the ropes around Zuko's wrists.

* * *

**Shard-- **Yup, even if you don't have a fanfiction account I'll find a way to respond to your reviews, especially when they are so kind as yours was! I hope this new update came fast enough and I am glad you liked it so much. I really used to have a lot of trouble with depicting emotion so a part of me always feels just a tad guilty accepting compliments on that. I'm almost tempted to direct you to the teacher who saw talent in me and had the patience to teach me. But I am glad to hear you liked it and I don't think I can say thanks enough. 


	12. Emerald Butterfly

**Can it really be? Three weeks in a row I've updated by my self-imposed deadline. That's pretty impressive in my mind. **

**You know? I think it's a sign that this story is taking over my life. I'm turning twenty on Sunday and my mother made sure that among my gifts from family there was a Zuko action figure. I shouldn't enjoy that fact as much as I do. **

* * *

**  
**

"Mistress Waterbender." An older man said, leaning heavily on a gnarled branch of a cane and hobbling forward slowly. The crowd parted for him and allowed him through, while the villagers fell quiet and watched. Interested in their own morbid way.

"I am the eldest in the town and these people look to me for guidance." He explained, his voice thin and slow. "Allow me to explain their actions to you and maybe you will see things from their side." He explained. Katara narrowed her eyes and her lips were a thin line against her face, and even Zuko who did not know her well could tell it was the look of barely restrained anger.

She knelt, without taking her eyes off of the crowd that had been bloodthirsty a moment before, and pulled Zuko's trembling arm around her shoulders, taking on the majority of his weight as she helped him to stand.

"My mother was killed by Firebenders." She said, and her voice was cold and hard as the ice she could command, but Zuko was startled more by how gentle she was with him. "I was twelve and I could do nothing but watch as they slaughtered her and others from our small village." The water fell back into the well with a flick of her wrist and only enough to fill her little water pouch was left, and even that was tucked away. Still and suddenly nothing more than water again.

"This man personally has tried to kill my friends and I on several occasions, and nothing he can do will undo that. However none of_ that _can undo what he did here today. He risked his life to save your town and your children when most of you would do nothing. The few of you who fought even fought beside him, trusted him enough to let him stand at your back and fight." She scoffed, walking along through the churned mud at their feet and pulling Zuko along with her.

"But you, you and your kind who would hate him simply for something he had no control over are worse than even Ozai himself. And you don't deserve a hero, a savior." And then she fell silent other than soft and murmured encouragements to Zuko. _You'll be okay. I can heal you in a moment. Just a moment more. _She told home with a crooked little smile that didn't reach her sad eyes.

"You don't have to help me. I don't need any help." He told her, managing to find his own feet and trying to push away from her even as they left the startled and quiet crowd behind.

"You don't want help. There is a difference." She told him, allowing him to take two trembling steps on his own. When he stumbled and his legs refused to hold him she caught him before he could fall. She grunted at the weight of him and stumbled herself for a moment but she managed. She wasn't like the Fire Nation girls, who were trained to fight but always seemed to stay wispy and weak when it came to actual weight being hefted.

"You should have left me to them." He told her, and smoke curled in tendrils from his nostrils, and for a moment Katara had no trouble believing he was related to the great Dragon of the West.

"They would have killed you!" She shouted and he wasn't certain if she was appalled at them, or at him for accepting their punishment so easily. Maybe she just had that habit of screeching when people dared speak against her.

"So will anyone in any town who knows what I am. I have to go somewhere." He told her, too weak to keep struggling against her help. The stone that hit his shoulder hadn't even hurt when it struck. There was a knock he'd taken to his head that hurt worse and he had double vision still, which couldn't be good.

If the Waterbender planned on healing him rather than lecturing him to death he hoped she do it soon.

"You will be staying with us you stubborn, spoiled prince." She growled.

"With you? Yours is the only group that has reason to hate me so. And you and your friends made it clear that I wasn't welcome in your precious little family." He snarled, and it might have even been menacing if he didn't have to tilt his head up to look at her when he talked. If his legs weren't dragging behind him and if she weren't the only thing between him and laying in the dirt.

"I will not leave you to the wolf-bears." She told him, not even sparing him a glance. They were walking back to the forest where he could only assume Appa and Momo were still waiting for the Avatar and his friends to return. "And while we may have a right to distrust you that's different. You did help Aang and Iroh trusts you. We should as well." She sighed heavily and stopped for a moment, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "I can't say it will be easy, but we were as much at fault as you, and I see that now. Will you give us a second chance?" She asked. He watched her eyes for a long moment and finally scoffed, looking away from her and off into the distance where the sky was still thick and heavy with smoke, but it was clearing and people were going back their their lives.

"Would you really give me a choice?" He asked, and he was startled when she snorted.

"No."

"It is a wonder that people see the Avatar as a threat to Fire Nation rule, rather than you." He told her, and he spat it, but at the same time there was a glimmer of something in his eyes. Nothing at the moment but a tiny sparkle that might become a grudging friendship if it was nurtured and Katara really did try to trust him.

"If I were really something to fear I'd have been able to make Sokka do his share of the chores back home." She told him, and they were fighting it was true, but there was something different to it now. That same little fledgling possibility.

"So do you plan to heal me or did you simply want the pleasure of killing me rather than leaving that to those fools in town." Her eyebrows rose quickly and she shot him an odd look. If Zuko had lead a better life he might have recognized it as friendly teasing.

"I rather like you like this to tell the truth. You're easier to deal with." She told him and before he could yell or shout or do any of a thousand things that might have shattered this strange truce that had settled over them she was already helping him to sit, his back leaned against the rough bark of a tree. She removed his swords from his back and his stiffened, still a bit nervous and hesitant, until she lay them at his side, the hilts just brushing the tips of his fingers.

He realized later it would not have mattered how near or far they were he was in no condition to fight her.

Zuko had never been interested in his lessons, what was the point? Azula would just best him in those too, and if he could turn around and shrug and say he never paid any attention to his tutors anyway then it was like having an excuse and it managed to lessen the humiliation in the slightest. He had, even at a young age, realized that sometimes humiliation couldn't be avoided and that the best you could hope for was lessening it just a little.

He didn't remember if he was supposed to know that Waterbenders could be trained to heal or not, but he was interested in it now. Now there was no Azula to know more than him.

He tried desperately not to seem as fascinated as he was with the process. When he was seven he had fallen out of a tree—this was when Azula was only five, before she could bend properly and before she was the bane of his entire existence. He'd broken his arm and it needed to be set and bound and he wore a splint for weeks.

But within moments of settling down Katara had him almost completely healed. The burn on his side from a Fire Bending soldier and the cut on his shoulder from the rock. He was too fascinated to be embarrassed or to feel week when he told her about the wound on the back of his head. She nodded, completely oblivious to everything around her and worried only about healing her patient.

It was an interesting contrast to the girl who always seemed to be torn in at least three different directions. She was worried for Aang but she would still place the fate of the world in his hands. But then she'd stand to the side and while she was making dinner she'd be watching him as though to be certain he didn't drop it.

If there was something to be done she did it without complaint and without anyone asking her to, aside from Sokka but Zuko was certain that was more to annoy the warrior than anything else. Still, in this moment she was focused on only this and nothing else. Her eyes focused and distant all at once, as though in her head she were reciting all the things she needed to remember as she continued her work.

Then the moment was gone and she was smiling—a bit tired—and leaning back on her heels. "Is that everything?" She asked, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand and only succeeding in leaving a smear of dirt across tanned skin.

"I'm fine." He told her gruffly, and he was startled when she rolled her eyes, smiled and shoved him lightly.

"Of course, I shouldn't be so surprised that the Great Prince Zuko would never admit to being in pain." And then, even more startling, she hopped to her feet and held out her hand. Was this what being friends with people entailed?

They teased you without malice?

It was an interesting though, and he wondered at it while he allowed her to help him up and followed her dumbly through the forest. Staring at her back and swishing braid as though _they _held the answers to his questions.

They didn't, but the soft swaying of her hair was remincient of his mother's hair when he walked with her through the gardens and it actually managed to sooth the headache that had been building behind his eyes.

He wondered, briefly, what the others would do when Katara came plowing into camp with the fallen prince in tow. He wondered how heartbroken Sokka would be.

Then he realized that if the Waterbender could command attention as she had in town, that had to come from experience and since he recalled there being only a handful of people in her village...The experience could only come from leading the group. Avatar or not he was a child and had a penchant for being childish at times.

He wasn't certain he liked her just deciding things for him like that, who was she to say that he would stay or go?

But he could not deny that he wished to remain by Iroh's side, and the others weren't so terrible really, he could even get used to putting up with them if Katara and Toph weren't so distrustful.

And maybe Sokka too if he weren't so..annoying.

Zuko settled into being dragged along even though she wasn't even looking at him let alone touching him, and scowling. He was good at scowling he _wasn't _good at this trusting thing.

* * *

**Shard: **Thank you so much for your kind words, and when you're so kind to someone as you are kind to me...you shouldn't be surprised at getting a response. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, and I'm glad you like the pacing because lord, we've a long way to go. :)

**Culf: **I think she realizes it, let's just hope that Zuko sees that she's only bossy because she cares. :)


	13. Bloodstone Fellowship

**Man, Chapter 13 on not only the 13th of April, but it's Friday the 13th to boot! I wish I could say I planned that but naw, it's too perfect. I would have screwed it up if I meant to do it on purpose. **

**Please enjoy and remember: If you want geek!points give me your interpretation of the meanings of the chapter titles. And if you have an idea for things that the geek!points can be redeemed for tell me. I was thinking maybe a sneak-peek of future chapters? Or one question about something that's going to happen in the future of the story? What do you guys think?**

* * *

Sokka rolled his shoulders and chanced a look at Aang who had seemed furious enough to enter the Avatar-State earlier. Now he seemed fine, he was spinning a pair of pebbles above Momo's head, making them do figure-eights around his ears and then zip away if Momo tried to grab at one.

"Katara's been gone and awful long time." He said finally, not loosing control of the pebbles even when he looked to Toph and Sokka instead.

Toph was sitting on tree that Appa had knocked over trying to scratch and itch behind his ear. Iroh was next to her, heating a pot of tea, his eyes far away and worried. The Earthbender heaved a heavy sigh and jumped off in a smooth motion, landing in a small puff of dust and dirt. She knelt and pressed her palm to the dirt as well and furrowed her brow.

Then she smiled, slow and soft at first and then it turned wicked. "She'll be here in a moment, don't worry Twinkle-toes." And she hopped back onto the log and folded her arms across her chest, looking smug.

Aang was thrilled at the news that Katara would be there soon and the pebbles shot off in two different directions as he finally lost his concentration. Sokka narrowed his eyes at Toph, even though she couldn't see it. He wondered why she was so smug and _why _she had smiled like that. Either way it didn't bode well for them and he just hoped that Katara wasn't coming back with the whole village or yet another fuzzy little critter.

Even worse—he though with a horrified groan—what if she'd found some pretty-boy farmer who was following her like a lost dog, making the same googly eyes that Aang did, only she noticed the farmer and she was going to stay here and get married and have babies and leave him all alone and _who was supposed to mend his socks then?_

He had drawn his boomerang before he realized it and snarled. Well that farmer was going to have to go through Sokka if he really wanted Katara all that badly!

Aang was giving him a funny look when Sokka came back to himself. "Are you okay?" He asked in that small way that drew out the "a" of "are" and really meant _you're being weird again. Quit it. _Before Sokka could make some pithy remark which would have probably been along the lines of _let's go find Katara and make _sure _she's okay, _the Waterbender in question broke through the tree-line, a smile on her face and a smudge of soot above one eye.

She was a bit sweaty and looked tired but she was fine and Sokka was grateful, happy, and calm right up until the sullen Firebender following her came into sight. Iroh's face lit up, he wasn't the type for cautious optimism, and Toph smirked. She wasn't certain what had happened but Katara's heart-beat was slow and peaceful and Sparky seemed to be less high-strung than before. He wasn't about to leap into battle at least. So she trusted that _something _had happened and if she waited she'd know.

Aang froze; he had started to run at the girl when she entered but seemed to have lost his energy when Zuko entered. Aang wasn't wary but he was confused.

Sokka, however, was furious.

"_What is _he _doing here?" _Sokka yelled, his voice high and shrill. _"I thought we'd _finally _gotten _rid _of him!"_ Toph didn't join the others in glaring. She slipped off the log just enough to thrust her heel into the dirt and send up a small mound of dirt and knock Sokka flat on his back.

"Don't mind Snoozles." She told them, but she was directing the comment more to Iroh than anyone. Katara sighed, hanging her head and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Look, I talked him into coming back." She sighed out the words and looked up. She faced the general group but her blue eyes darted to Aang. "We were terrible to him. We were no better than even the worst Firebenders, and I think we owe him an apology." She shifted so she faced Toph full-on, she had found it was the only way she could let the girl know when she was being glared at. Toph snorted and looked away, but her face was serious and Katara knew she saw the truth of the statement.

"We have a right to be distrustful of him, but we weren't even giving him a chance. And _that _is wrong." She announced. Sokka finally scrambled to his feet and started to talk but Katara silenced him with a well placed glare. Zuko was sure she might have even given Azula a moment of pause. "I asked him if he'd give us another chance." She said, her voice soft, and it took Zuko a moment to realize it was an admission. She wasn't dictating them, she was giving them a choice, but she wanted them to know her decision was made.

It was odd and it reminded Zuko, in a strange way, of the loyalty and camaraderie he had shared with his old crew. He'd listen to their opinions and they might change what was happening, but his decision was made. Iroh grinned at him in that way that was completely endearing and just a little maddening. It was the grin that always tempted Zuko to drown the old man in his own tea.

Toph and Aang were willing to try again, though neither would admit so freely that they had been unjust to the fallen prince. Sokka grabbed his sister's arm right at the elbow and dragged her off to the side.

"Katara you _can't _really be serious. We didn't trust him _with good reason!" _He pleaded, sounding more like a child begging sweets from his mother rather than a warrior trying to reason with a Master.

"Sokka, stop being such an idiot." She demanded, her voice low and dark and deadly calm.

"Katara." He tried so hard to sound serious.

"No. Aang's the Avatar, we're just traveling with him, if he has agreed to give Zuko another chance than you should too, or you can leave. But I won't be going with you." They were both speaking quietly, having a private moment between brother and sister and even Appa strained to listen. Prying and wanting to see the outcome.

"Aang would--" Sokka started, then he stopped and shut his teeth with a soft click. The words 'Aang would say anything he thought would make you happy' died on his lips. The little Airbender was looking at him with big sad eyes. Instead he took a long deep breath and let it out with agonizing slowness. "Fine. Fine, but I've got a bad feeling about this." And for as serious as the situation was this seemed to be the magic words and though Katara sighed in annoyance a smile curled in the corner of her mouth.

"Oh." She groaned. "Not your _instincts _again." And Aang laughed and Zuko was certain he'd never get the hang of being close to people. Close and on equal terms, it just seemed far too complicated. Far more difficult than any Firebending set and _yet another thing _that Azula did better than him. Though, in all honesty, he wasn't certain if Mai and Ty Lee were friends, subordinates or hostages.

"Hey!" Sokka sounded indignant but impotently so.

Zuko slunk around the fighting siblings and tried to ignore Avatar as he sat beside Iroh, on the other side from the Earthbender.

"It is nice to have you back." Iroh murmured, almost out of the corner of his mouth. Zuko looked down at his hands, a bit raw and red from gripping the handles of his swords. He should fix the aged and worn leather on the hilts but he didn't have the heart. It was a memory in itself and he wasn't certain he could tear it off and replace it.

Of course he assured himself that it was just because he wasn't certain that it was worse to have overly worn grips or new ones that needed to be broken in, but even he didn't believe that.

Even just by that evening Zuko could see that things really _were _different this time. Some things, it seemed, stayed the same though.

Despite threats from Katara and actual attacks from Toph Sokka was adamant that he wouldn't be trusting Zuko any time soon. It seemed that Zuko's near-departure had only made things worse between them, and if Sokka wasn't flinching every time Zuko moved, Zuko was reaching for his swords every time Sokka spoke.

No one could stand it and Aang took the initiative in the situation, he _was _the Avatar after all. Katara and Toph were fetching water when they heard the shouting start. They didn't even need to speak, they just tore through the woods, back toward camp.

When they got there, Aang was standing off to the side, his staff raised above his head—ready to slam it down and force the two young men to pay attention to him—and Zuko and Sokka were grappling; rolling around on the ground and fighting furiously. Iroh put a hand out to stop Aang and Katara sighed, shaking her head.

"I think they need this Aang." Iroh murmured.

"What?" He was confused to say the least.

"Aang, nothing else has worked, sometimes people just need to get everything off their chest before they can move on." Katara supplied. "We can step in and pull them apart if things get too serious. I think the four of us can handle the two of them." She said with a reassuring smile.

"Or they could wear each other out and we can at least go a whole evening without listening to Snoozles whine." She laughed aloud. Katara groaned and for a moment it looked as though Aang had taken her seriously and was really going to step in and do something about it.

"But..." He started, "But they're fighting."

"Aang, trust doesn't come over night. There is a lot of tension between those two and it might help them if they can work some of it out. Once they see that they're evenly matched things might be a bit easier for the two of them." Iroh said, a hand on Aang's thin shoulder. "Think about it, if they really meant to hurt each other, why don't they have weapons? Or why isn't Zuko using his Firebending?" Iroh pointed out.

They wore themselves out soon enough, both heaving with the exertion. They were both looking battered, bruised and contrite.

"I'm not healing either of you." Katara said, her voice more annoyed than anything else.

"But Katara..." Sokka whined.

"No, you two did this to each other, you two insisted on being belligerent and letting you two ache for the next couple of days is punishment enough." Zuko wondered why he ever thought her regal, she was more like an angry mother scolding children, and it annoyed him to no end.

"Why should _I _have to suffer? _He _started the fight. _He _attacked me. Even ask the Avatar!" Zuko snarled, not hearing for an instant how petulant he sounded. Katara arched an eyebrow at him and didn't say anything for a long moment.

"You fought back pretty hard for being the innocent part." She pointed out.

"I was _defending _myself." He sniffed.

"Why don't you help each other? I'm not sure about you," She directed a hard look at Zuko, "But I know Sokka was taught to heal, if he still remembers any of Gran-gran's lessons." Sokka hung his head and Zuko snarled, but they stopped begging.

"Is it really necessary to let them suffer?" Aang asked around a mouthful of vegetable stew. Katara opened her mouth to answer but Toph stepped in quickly.

"You're the one who didn't want them fighting in the first place, now you want us to condone it by healing them? Make up your mind."

"Think of it as a way of letting them feel the other's pain." Iroh pointed out with a jolly laugh that seemed to Aang to be at least slightly out of place given the situation. Toph snorted into her tea and Katara made a strangled sound as she tried to hold in her laughter. From where they sat, isolated from the group, Sokka and Zuko looked up.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Sokka asked.

"How should I know?" Zuko asked, sinking lower against the tree he was leaned against, until the bark rubbed against a bruise on his shoulder and he hissed in pain. "Is your sister always so--"

"Don't talk about my sister _Firebender." _Sokka growled, pushing with his hand feebly against the other's shoulder. Of course there was hardly an inch of either of them that _wasn't _bruised so a feeble hit or not it hurt.

They were quiet for a moment and then, so softly Zuko wasn't certain he'd heard it correctly, "And...yeah. She is." And then, as an afterthought: "You just have to know how to get on her good side."

They looked at each other in the dim light and shared a small smile. It wasn't much, and Sokka's knuckles were still bleeding a little bit and Zuko couldn't feel one wrist, but it was a start.

"How do you do that?" Zuko asked.

"Dunno. If you ever find out you'll have to tell me." They both laughed at that, then groaned simultaneously as various injuries complained at the action.

* * *

**Shard -- **I'm glad you like the bits of teasing banter. Supposedly I'm funny in real life (I'm not certain I believe anyone when they say that) but that's situational stuff and snide remarks. I wasn't certain I could handle the sort of banter in the show and it's really nice to hear when someone likes it so thanks! Character development, I adore that! So I'm glad it's working for you! 


	14. The Quail

**How crazy, this story is really taking off in terms of readers. 24 Favorites AND Alerts? Fabulous! 69 Reviews? Glorious! Pardon me while I giggle and squeal incoherently to myself. **

**As always I love to hear from you guys if you've the time.**

* * *

Eventually the group developed a strange sense of normalcy. Things were easier this time around as well. They would wake at sunrise and Iroh and Aang would go a safe distance away and start training while Toph woke up Sokka and Katara filled the water pouches for the day. Zuko had even started helping pack things, although Sokka and he would spend more time fighting over the proper way to roll the sleeping bags than actually working.

They'd take their time leaving, eating a leisurely breakfast while Aang rested a bit. They'd travel all day with a break at noon for lunch. This also gave Appa time to rest. It was harder for him now that their small family was getting so large. Aang and Toph would practice Earthbending and Sokka and Zuko would hunt for food. If there was a town and things in the forest were hard to find they might go to the market.

Iroh would be forced to stay in camp.

Which suited him just fine, he would end up helping Katara cook whatever the boys managed to find and she was grateful for the help. Before he had come along Aang had been the only one to even _offer _help and should she accept his earnest offer it took twice as long and most of the food ended up burned anyway.

They would leave as soon as the sun started to set and travel until it started getting dark and they'd find a campsite in the waning light. Iroh would cook dinner alone—usually leftovers from lunch—and Katara and Aang would practice his Waterbending. It was during this time that Zuko would slink off to practice his Firebending, as far from camp as possible so that only on rare occasions did they see a burst of flickering orange light in the distance signaling where he was.

It took a long time for Katara to even realize that this was odd and longer still to start wondering why he didn't practice with Iroh and Aang. She knew personally how much easier it was to practice and improve your bending when you had someone there to help you, and she couldn't imagine why Zuko would give that up.

She started to worry soon enough after that.

Worrying that maybe Aang and Zuko weren't getting along as well as she'd hoped.

Worried that maybe Zuko wasn't getting any closer to their group than he had before.

Worried that he was being excluded and she just wasn't seeing it like she hadn't the first time.

So one evening about a week after he'd rejoined the group she sought him out after she and Aang had finished training. Aang meant well but he was still just a child and sometimes she could tell there was no more for him to learn, his attention was spent and there was no use pushing him.

This evening it had been her that couldn't focus and she'd finally sighed and apologized. Aang had laughed it off and instantly gone off to see if Iroh had anymore campfire stories or another game of Pai Sho in him.

It took Katara much longer to find Zuko than she'd imagined and twice she had worried that she'd gotten turned around in looking for him but finally she found him.

He was in a tiny clearing that was squished against the side of a steep cliff that stretched up and into the dark night sky. She was careful as she approached and made as much noise as she could manage. Even going so far as to find a large stick and break it with her hands before she drew too close. The young man stood in a stiff form, his eyes following her but still other than that. A thin sheen of sweat covered his skin and he'd shed his shirt even in the cool night air. It was crumpled into a ball and tossed to the side and Katara picked it up without much though, shaking out the rough fabric and folding it as she watched him.

"Did you want something?" He never called her peasant anymore but he didn't call her by name unless he absolutely had to either.

"I was worried." She offered softly, setting the folded shirt back where she'd found it and watching him relax out of the corner of her eye. He wiped his forehead with the back of one hand and sighed, flopping into a sitting position on the ground with his knees sticking up and out at odd angles. Katara had never really paid too much attention to his looks until that moment she she realized quite suddenly how long his arms and legs were.

She dropped beside him, close but without touching. It was only a small distance but it felt like a yawning chasm that separated them. She wondered if she'd ever be able to reach the side he stood on or if she'd fall in the trying.

"What about?" He asked after a long silence.

"You." He jerked in surprise and went stiff again, she was quick to amend her statement. "Well maybe not _worried _maybe more curious. And I thought, _as long as we're trying to be friends, _that I'd make sure there was nothing wrong." She said, trying hard to sound like she wasn't prying, even though she was certain she was.

"Why would you think there was anything wrong?" He asked, but the sneer didn't reach his eyes, and she took that as a good sign. But then she was a bit too hopeful for her own good, Jet had taught her that. She supposed she owed him her thanks in a way.

"Well, I know what it's like to try and learn to bend without a teacher." She started. "It wasn't until I joined up with Aang and went to the North Pole that I had a proper teacher at all, let alone a Master." He might have been old and obsessed with the Old Ways. _Certain _that women couldn't do anything but stay home and do chores, but she couldn't deny that Pakku wasn't a brilliant Master. "And Iroh is one of the best Firebenders I've ever seen." She said with a smile. And it might have been her hopeful imagination but she liked to think she saw a small smile on Zuko's lips as well. But it was dark and he still wasn't looking at her.

"So I was just wondering why you came out here, all alone, to train rather than with him and I got worried that maybe you felt like we were alienating you again." She admitted finally in a great rush. Silence settled between them, making the small space even larger. He turned to face her at long last, moving slow and watching her with luminescent eyes that seemed to almost shimmer in the dark.

"What does it matter _to you?_" He asked, his voice a low hiss that tore through all her delusions of kindness and friendship between them.

"I call you friend. I care about you whether you want me to or no. There's no changing it now and _I'm trying to fix things_. We were awful to you before and I want to fix that and if you just keep pushing and pushing and pushing at us what are we supposed to do? I'm not going to go away and you just have to deal with that!" She shouted, railing against him as though he'd attacked her physically. He didn't hesitate like Sokka or Aang might have, and he didn't storm away or attack her like Toph might have. He raised his chin, just a hair, and narrowed his eyes.

"You are not welcome in my life just because _you want to be there_. And I am _not _going to trust you _just because you tell me to!_" He shouted. "It is _my _business what I do and when. I help with your stupid chores. I put up with your stupid brother. I should expect that if you _want _to be _kind _and _caring _that you should let me practice when I want and _leave me be_!" He shouted, his voice going rough and his words losing that overeducated edge they took on when he was being pompous.

"You're the one who told me that Firebenders _rise with the sun! _So why do you practice at night when everyone else is settling down to sleep? Why do you practice so far from camp and _why _don't you use the advantage that Iroh presents?" She asked, and she finally stood in a huff, frustrated. "Why do you always insist on making things so hard on yourself?" She asked, in a heavy sigh.

"Nothing ever comes easily for me! I don't make things hard on myself, _the World _makes things hard on me! I just deal with it. I have for a long time and I've managed just fine without you sticking your nose into things!" He stood too, in a single swift motion that startled her with it's grace.

"_Of course_," She started, too wrapped up in the fight to consider anything else. "No the Great Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation would _never _intentionally make things hard on himself. I think you like it! I think that if you didn't have a chip on your shoulder about _something _you wouldn'teven _know _what to do with yourself!" She said, drawing close enough to poke him in the chest to punctuate certain words.

"Do not speak of things you don't know anything about." He growled, his voice low and dangerous. It reminded her of a predator, growling just before he pounced on unsuspecting prey.

"Then _tell _me about them. _What _don't I know?" She asked, her voice startling her with how soft it suddenly went. Reminding her of her mother just a little. "I want to make things better. _I'm _trying Zuko. All I want is for you to try too. Just a little."

"You speak of family and friendship and trust! You take them for granted. You haven't any _idea _what it's been like for me!" As her voice got softer and gentler Zuko's got rougher and louder. "You don't know what it's like to struggle every step of the way and_ still _never be good enough! Why won't I practice with the Avatar? Because I've practiced with someone who's always better than me before and it _doesn't help_." He shouted. "It doesn't help to have someone practice beside you, getting everything the instant they learn it when you struggle with the basics. It makes things _harder _and I'd rather do _without." _He shouted.

It wasn't until he whirled on Katara and saw how quiet she'd gone that he even realized what he'd shouted. He took a small step backward and stood up straighter, trying not to let her know just how much she had affected him.

When she smiled he was less scared—_worried! He was _never _scared—_and more angry.

"Is that all?" She asked, her smile soft and her eyes kind. It made him want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. "I understand _that_. I understand perfectly." She admitted, and she sat down again, right where they had been before they started shouting, before they started staring each other down. They had almost been ready to fight, furiously.

"I told you. I was the only Waterbender in my village and I had never seen another bender at all until Aang came along. When we started traveling he offered to practice with me. More appropriately I would get practice by trying to teach him what little I'd managed to learn for myself." She looked at her hands folded in her lap and shook her head. Her eyes were far away and sad. "I watched him master—better than I had—my life's work in a single afternoon. Not even an hour." She admitted, looking up at Zuko who still stood, his shoulders sagging just a little bit in surprise.

"In fact," She laughed, "That's why I stole that scroll from the pirates. I wanted to learn, I had worked _my whole life_ without any help and I didn't want him to show me up so easily. _ I was supposed to be better than him._" She murmured. It took him a moment but he recalled the pirates well. He had forgotten about that to tell the truth.

"But he's the Avatar. He isn't like us and he's learned this all a thousand times before. I think that's why he has an easier time of it, though it does still rankle and bother." She looked around, and smirked conspiratorially. "Besides, he's very dear and well-meaning but he has trouble focusing sometimes. We both learned from Master Pakku for the same amount of time, but I'm the one called Master and he's still a student." She pointed out, and Zuko snorted despite himself.

"Eventually things will click for you, and Aang will still be stretched every which way trying to be himself, and the Avatar. Trying to learn to Waterbend and Firebend and Earthbend and play too." She pointed out. "It will get easier but it won't get there if you don't try. Sometimes you have to suffer more, before that 'something better' comes along." She assured him, and while he wasn't sure he actually believed that, he found himself trusting her anyway. He sat down beside her. Farther than they had been the first time, but the unseen chasm seemed to have shrunk, just a little.

"But if you don't want to practice with Aang..." She sighed, "I do understand." Her sad smile brightened almost instantly. "It's hard, you know he's the Avatar and you know he's done it all before and that he's special and different and still you want to be better. Why should _he _have such an easy time of it? It's hard to get used to and even now I find myself a little jealous of him." She admitted. And it was so much more than an admission to make him feel better. She was being honest, she was being truthful and she really was trying to be his friend.

It was strange and felt awkward, but he couldn't say that it was unwelcome. Even if it was a Waterbending, peasant, _brat_ who shouted too much and was domineering and picky...It was nice to have someone trust him and believe in him. "Besides." She offered, and even in the dim light the moon managed to spill between the dense leaves he could see her eyebrows rise slowly. "You're a master with those swords you have and I don't think any amount of training could allow Aang...anyone...to best you with those." She finished and he wasn't sure what surprised him more: that she'd said it at all, or that he really believed she was being honest. She might not be right, but she really did feel that way.

* * *

**Riatha -- **I'm glad you like them so very much and it is a challenge trying to get their voices and development just right so it always brightens my day to hear someone point out that I'm doing it well.

**Shard -- **I've had relationships like that. Maybe not so far as physical violence, but sometimes the only way to become friends is to clear the air completely between the people. I'm glad you liked it so much and I'm always excited to hear anyone's looking forward to more! It's a sign I'm doing something right.


	15. Sibyls

**Heee. We're getting into the fun plot stuff now that the group is together and on the verge of trusting each other. I promised you it would happen eventually. And it only took me...what? 15 chapters. How weird...I just don't feel like it's been 15 chapters. It feels like...five, maybe. Is that good or bad?**

**And I still don't own anything, although it's not like Mike and Bryan are doing anything with the characters. Come on guys! What's with five months without new episodes?**

**And for those looking for geek!points I still don't know what they're for, but I will point out that if anyone gets the meaning of this title without looking it up...you rock and get like a zillion points because this one goes BEYOND obscure. **

**Request: **

**If you take the time to review, which I always appreciate, could you take the time to tell me how you feel about the length of chapters? I was thinking about it and some of my favorite authors do HUGE updates of about ten thousand words, while mine are about two thousand. Mind you they don't update every week...so I was wondering what you all thought on that front, shorter updates more often or more time between larger updates. I can't promise I'll change anything, but I do want to know what you all think. Thanks in advance.  
**

* * *

_  
_

_In the Fire Nation even the women were expected to fight. _

_Oh, of course they would not go off to war, but with the men out dominating and expanding their boarders there was no one left but the women to protect the home, and that was just as important so women would fight, and they would fight well. _

_The Fire Nation _never _did things by halves._

_Of course if they were Firebenders they would learn to fight with their bending, ruthless, vicious and efficient. If they lacked that internal Fire then it was no matter, there were other weapons available. Daggers to be thrown, swords to dance with and even on occasion women could learn to fight with pressure points, knowing where to hit to paralyze bending and where to hit to paralyze the whole body. Even where to hit to simply kill a person. Though she'd never been certain if that was a rumor or not._

_They could protect and defend yes, but they could take the offensive if the occasion arose. She was the daughter of a general, a favored general. She'd grown up sharing the same tutors as the two princes and the other children of the Council and favored friends of the Fire Lord. There was no question that she would be accepted to the Royal Academy for Girls. The most prestigious of schools. _

_She wasn't a Firebender but that didn't matter, they would train her to do something else. She would learn to dance like a doll in a music box and embroider and maybe an instrument or two; and to kill. She would learn to kill as well._

_All the hallmarks of a proper wife and lady, she would be made into the perfect bride for some _lucky _lord they assured her often._

_They choose a pair curved swords for her, sharp enough to cut through even iron like it was nothing more than butter. They were plain but that was the point. Firebending women were meant to be beautiful in everything they did. They adorned themselves plainly and they wore no jewelry, even the Fire Lord and his lady Wife wore only small gold ornaments. They were the work of art, their hair immaculate, skin pale and voice soft. _

_It was one of the first skills they learned, perfection, not a hair out of place._

_All the girls were trained to be perfect wives and perfect weapons. A woman wasn't worth anything if she couldn't defend the home should the need arise. Defend the home and protect the Fire Lord._

_She didn't mind, and when she was a whirl of steal and silk, flying across the practice rooms and thinking of nothing but the next move this set required she didn't think of anything else. It was a blissful moment when her mind shut down and none of her worries and none of her troubles could find her._

_Because for every day she lived, things seemed to get that much harder. Everything was about what the Fire Lord wanted, what he needed from his people. Lives were his and being wealthy and in favor only meant that everything you did affected him, and so he decided for you._

_What to wear, where to go, whom to love._

_When she was spinning across the floor she didn't have to think about how he looked at her. Warm golden eyes, soft smiles, and a warmth that invaded her senses and made her feel hazy at the edges._

_A warmth, a smile, and a pair of eyes that _were not hers!

* * *

Zuko sat in a forest; impossibly far from home and beside a Waterbending girl with tangled brown hair and dusky skin. He unsheathed one of the curved blades with a tiny hiss and held it out for the Waterbender to inspect. "They were my mother's." He admitted, his voice as quiet as the sword. "Fire Nation women have to be ready to fight, and have to fight as well as any man." He explained, his eyes watching Katara's expressive face in the reflection of the blade. "She insisted that I learn to use them. I hated practicing, I wanted to be a Bender, who needed weapons." He told her, choosing his words carefully. 

All the same she was almost startled. His eyes were softer than she'd ever seen them, and there was something resembling warmth just beneath the surface. And it might have been her imagination but she was certain there was a small smile just curling the corners of his mouth, almost there, but not quite.

It struck Katara that he was trying to be open with her, and making the effort she'd requested...but all he really wanted was silence. She offered him the sword back and smiled.

"She must be amazing to have trained you so well." She said, trying to free him from the obligation of sharing.

There was a long moment of silence and at last he stood, sheathing the sword and still not looking at her properly. He pulled the shirt she'd folded off the ground and tugged it on quickly. It hung crookedly but he didn't seem to care. "Not good enough." His voice was hard as stone and seemed to slam into her chest hard enough to make her heart stutter for a moment. "She's dead." And he vanished into the darkness all around them, storming silently back to camp and leaving Katara stunned and a little reluctant to move.

Her mind hadn't caught up to everything that had happened. A moment ago things had almost worked, she had reached and he hadn't pulled back or pushed her away.

He'd even made and effort to reach back.

She was torn between sympathy and righteous anger. She kenw what it was like to loose a mother, and she could see, even in the dark, how much Zuko's mother had meant to him. She could hear it in his voice and see it in his stance. She knew how tortuous it must have been to loose her.

But she couldn't be expected to walk around on eggshells all the time, afraid that the tiniest misstep would undo all the good she tried to do with him. She clenched her fists, and blew out a harsh breath, trying to calm herself.

She couldn't be angry at him, not really. He missed his mother, and considering Azula his family life must have been hard even when his mother was still around. Katara had coped with the loss of her mother, but she had a village as her family, all warm and loving and compassionate.

Yes, she had had to take over and do more work than any _child _should be expected to do, but she was surrounded by warmth and smiling faces. Sokka was annoying but he meant well, Gran-Gran was domineering but she often deferred to Katara's opinion, and had backed her up more than a few times.

She didn't know what Zuko's childhood had been like. Mostly because he wouldn't tell her but as her mother often mentioned when Katara and Sokka's fighting was at it's worst: _It takes two to make a thing not work. _Katara always pointed out that Sokka managed to ruin things just fine on his own but now...she could see wisdom in the words.

She stood at long last, brushing off imaginary dirt and walking slowly back to camp. It was easier to find the campsite than it had been to find Zuko, the fire helped the laughing shouts helped more. It struck Katara as strange that after all that had happened between she and Zuko in the last few moments and it seemed wrong that here nothing seemed different at all.

She edged into camp finding Aang and Momo playing keep-away from Sokka. Toph sat beside Iroh drinking tea and pushing her feet into the soft grass that stretched languorously over the ground and smiling. Katara was certain that Toph would never admit a soft-spot for anyone, but the Waterbender could see it all the same. Even if Toph couldn't.

Zuko was sitting at the edge of the fire, staring into the flames as though _they _held the answers to whatever questions he was asking. She sighed and walked over to take a seat near Iroh and Toph.

"Have a nice chat with Sparky?" Toph asked as soon as Katara had settled. Iroh snorted into his tea although Katara couldn't be certain if it was a laugh or surprise at the name Toph had dubbed his nephew with.

Katara sighed, staring down at her hands for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know." She admitted at last. "Every time I get even a little bit close he closes up into himself and withdraws and we're further apart than before. The only one he even hardly tolerates is Sokka and that was only after they beat each other senseless." Once she started the words tumbled free, scrambling over each other to get out. "Oh," She looked up and made a face. "I hope we're not all going to have to do that to get him to trust us." She snorted lightly and Iroh cracked a small grin. Toph guffawed so loudly that Sokka and Aang's game stopped. Which earned Sokka a lump when the apple struck him in the forehead.

Katara had the good sense to blushed but Toph simply laughed long and loud and ignored everyone else.

"He is difficult to get along with I know." Iroh said after a long moment of silence. Aang and Sokka had started chasing Momo who was running into the trees and using his gliding to an advantage even against the Airbender. "But that you're trying counts for more than you know. Give him time Katara, he'll open up eventually."

"Aww, I wanted more violence." Toph whined playfully.

"Gee Toph I can't imagine why I don't come to you for advice more often when you are so helpful." Katara deadpanned. She wondered at the smirk on Toph's face—_worried more appropriately—_and turned just in time to lunge to the side and out of Sokka's way as he chased Momo to their corner of the campsite.

His foot caught on the log he had rolled over for Iroh to sit on—they all seemed to baby the old man, adoring him in their own quiet ways—and landed face-first into the dirt, he was lucky he didn't land in the fire. "Sorry." He grumbled, rolling slowly onto his side and spitting out a mouthful of dirt. "Hey, what are you guys talkin' about over here?" He asked, rolling onto his back. Katara sighed and held out her hands, helping him to stand grudingly.

"Nothing you'd be interested in Snoozles." Toph snorted into her nearly-empty cup of tea. Katara sighed and sat back down, jumping only slightly when Aang suddenly dropped down beside her, holding out a small apple.

"Here Katara! Try these!" He suggested, but Momo swooped down and stole it out of Aang's small hand and landed on Sokka's head where he started to gnaw on the fruit. "Uh...or not." He laughed embarrassed. Zuko looked up from where he sat and stood slowly, edging closer to the group and finally sitting down opposite Katara and taking the tea Iroh offered.

"Well, as long as everyone is together for once," Iroh shot a meaningful glance in Zuko's direction but the fallen prince ignored it as well as he could. "I could always regale you with an old campfire tale. We used to trade stories all the time when I was a general." Aang brightened instantly and begged for a story.

Zuko sighed and narrowed his eyes—Katara was watching him carefully, trying to see the side Iroh assured her was there—and she watched how the skin of his scar puckered and shifted even at the slightest movement of his eyes. Not for the first time she wondered where he'd acquired such a terrible burn.

She imagined it had to have been in battle, she'd never heard tales of rebles against the Fire Nation, but Jeong Jeong had a decent sized group of men following him and he was very skilled. Maybe the young prince had gone off to obliterate a group of rebels and found out the hard way that the whole world wouldn't bow and scrape to him because he was a prince.

_No. _

She sighed to herself, considering the story he told her about his sister, and what she knew about the girl herself, she doubted that he'd ever thought terribly highly of himself. Maybe he'd tried to prove he was better than Azula and _that's _how he'd acquired it.

She imagined it was, maybe it did have something to do with rebels and him trying to lead an army, but she was fairly certain that it was to prove he was better than Azula, rather than a mistake because he thought he was better than he was.

"I've got the perfect story too, although I'm afraid Zuko has heard it before." He shot an apologetic smile at the young man.

"Uncle." He started slowly, moving to face Iroh, "I've heard _all _your stories before." Iroh laughed, a great belly laugh that was infectious and soon they were all smiling and chuckling.

Or at least, everyone beside Zuko.


	16. Galangal Root

**Okay, and finally my folklore classes come to handy. I wrote this fable based on what I know about fables and folktales AND the Avatar universe. As such I know that the princess is vapid and they fall in love based on looks in about thirty seconds at best. But that's how fairy tales are.**

**If you think I got lazy you can ask one of the people who knows what's going to happen and they can ASSURE you that I didn't lose all my talent or anything.**

**Okay with that covering of my ass out of the way I wanted to give you all a quick but HUGE thank you for how unimaginably KIND you all were about my previous question. It's nice to know that most of you want me to just make my own decision on the matter and as such I've decided that the chapters will stay this length (aside from this one which is pathetically short but that's because I wanted the fable to be it's own chapter. Because if I started what happens in the next chapter...it was just too much. I think some of you are now chomping at the bit for that chapter over this one...) and updates will stay once a week.**

**Also, I might be going visiting over the summer so I might miss an update or two, but I'll be certain to warn you before hand if that's going to happen so you all know I didn't forget about you.  
**

* * *

_  
_

_Iroh smiled and cleared his throat unnecessarily and shifted in his seat. "I've got just the story." He told them with that sparkle in his eyes that Zuko knew too well. Knew enough to groan. Iroh ignored the sound and chose to plow on, starting his story like all the stories he used to tell Zuko as a child started. With "once upon a time"..._

Once upon a time a long time ago in a Land far removed from the world we know today there lived a very old ruler. His wife had long gone on to her eternal rest but she had left him with three sons who were all now young men and made their father very proud.

The eldest was foolhardy and tended to throw himself into a situation and figure it out later. The second was vicious and war-like. Most of his time was spent with the Generals or in the training yard practicing with the soldiers.

The youngest of the three sons was not particularly skilled at fighting, nor was he terribly interested in being a hero, but he listened well to his tutors and waited quietly for his chance.

Together they lived in peace and prosperity for a long while until at last a messenger came to the castle where they lived. He had ridden hard for three days and three nights and was near-death with exhaustion when he finally stumbled into the throne-room of the Lord of the Castle.

In a trembling voice he told of a small and poor village that was filled with people and situated next to an idyllic forest. However an old and cruel wizard had moved into the forest near their town. His name was Kashay and he was as old as the mountains—some said he had created the mountains. For a long while he stayed in his cabin in the center of the forest and paid no mind to any of the people in the village.

Soon however the young women of the town started to vanish in the night.

He was stealing them away and he would keep them as his bride for three nights and on the fourth night he would kill them. The people of the village lived in constant terror and didn't know who to turn to. Several of their young men had died trying to save the women of the town. None of them had even gotten so far as the cabin where the old man lived.

The oldest son donned his armor without a second thought, ready to slay the wizard and return peace to the land. The old Lord was sad to see him go but had faith. The son took only his ostrich-horse, his armor and a small basket of food provided by the palace chefs, the finest cakes and wine. It was a long journey but he arrived at last at the forest where the wizard lived. The first night he spent in the woods he was sitting near the fire he'd built and just about to eat his cake when an old and crippled woman shuffled into the light of the small campfire he had built to keep the cold night at bay.

She explained that she was starving and asked if he could spare even a little bit of his food for her. He turned her away cruelly. He was a prince and he did _not _share food with peasants.

He never returned home, no one ever even heard from him again and after a season the second son put on his armor and set out to avenge his brother and restore the family honor.

He too took only his armor, his ostrich-horse and a meal of the finest cakes and wine provided by the palace chef. When he sat down in the forest of the wizard at night he too was visited by the shambling old woman who begged for some food and a warm place beside the fire. He was furious that some _disgusting begger-woman _dared to ask _him _for _anything. _He beat her viciously with his fists until she shuffled into the shadows and vanished.

When he never returned the youngest prince asked his father for permission to go on a quest to defeat the wizard, free the town and avenge his brothers. He didn't want anyone else to suffer at the man's wicked hands and he wanted no more families to bury sons and brothers.

"My dear little child!" The young man's father sighed, shaking his old and wizened head, "I think you cannot do much where your brothers both failed! I do not wish to loose the only son I have left!" He wailed.

For three long days the youngest prince begged and pleaded and finally the old ruler could take it no more and consented and allowed the young man to go on his foolish quest. The Lord was furious though, certain he was losing his final son and only remaining heir. He thought that if he denied the youngest the things his brothers had the young prince would return without getting far. As such he ordered that the royal chefs only prepare bread crusts and water for the journey.

The young man was determined though and he too made it to the wizard's forest; and that night he too was visited by the crippled woman.

When the old woman pleaded with him for his food he offered her his place by the fire and all of his meager meal.

"I am young and strong while you are neither, missing a meal will not do me harm." He told her, and when she touched the food with gnarled hands the bread became a cake and the water turned to wine and no matter how much either of them ate there was always more until both of them were full and content.

He offered to let her sleep by the fire and offered instead to stay up and keep watch, protecting her from the wizard's wrath. When he looked where the old woman had slept the night before he was amazed to discover that she was no longer old and crippled and ugly, she was a beautiful young princess.

Her hair shone light gold even in the dim and dappled light of the forest and her skin was like the finest porcelain, pale and perfect. Her smile was soft and her lips were a perfect, rosy cupid's bow. For the longest time the young prince could only stand and stare openly at this perfect angel that had somehow come to be standing right in front of him.

"I am a princess from a far away land and I was to be the wizard's bride long long ago when he was still a young man, when I refused to marry him he cursed me, in life I had been beautiful and spry and so eternally I would be trapped in the body of a miserable old hag until someone offered me kindness as you did last night. I have learned my lesson about being selfish and spoiled and watched far too many girls fall upon a far worse fate than ever befell me." She explained in a voice that rang like rain on a river.

He smiled softly, enchanted by her beauty and told her honestly that he was a far weaker fighter than his brothers who had come before him and that the two of them had failed miserably and fallen at the Wizard's hand.

The both of them were great warriors and master Firebenders he was neither, but he would try with all his might to defeat the evil wizard if she would only consent to be his wife afterward. She was overjoyed at the prospect and showed him with kisses, weeping over him as she prayed for his safety in the face of the difficult task.

As she wept two tears tumbled off of her nose and into his dark golden eyes. The moment the tears hit his eyes flickered and the colored lightened significantly, turning from a brassy color to the color of the sun in the springtime.

She explained to him all she knew about the evil wizard. He was older than the mountains and some even said that it was he who created the mountains long ago. He was old enough that no onw knew a time before him, and his age was due in no small part to the fact that he had covered his heart in the thickets of metal so that nothing could penetrate it and nothing could harm him.

As she talked she lead him through the forest and to the small hut surrounded by a fence of bones, this was where Kashay lived and the bones were those of the women he had slain. The only way to kill him was to destroy his heart. Not even the strongest firebenders could manage heat enough to melt the metal around his decrepit heart.

With a kiss dropped onto her ivory cheek he drew his sword and rushed into the cabin, ready to defeat the old wizard or fall.

The wizard however was also a master firebender, far more skilled than the young prince certainly, soon the young prince tumbled to the ground, landing hard on his back and nearly defeated. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed were the eyes of his princess. The color of which rivaled the color of the sky on a clear day.

In an instant he felt rejuvenated and jumped to his feet, suddenly fighting with the strength of ten men. And when he unleashed a ragged blast of fire it was no longer the warm orange and red tones he was used to, however neither was it the cold blue fire of those who could suppress all their emotions. No, instead his fire glowed the purest, and hottest white color, equaling the heat of the passionate flames that threatened to devour his heart whenever he saw his princess.

The prince's white flames were hotter than any firebender had managed ever before, even those rare few who could bend lightning, and they easily melted the metal around Kashay's heart and killed him, leaving only a twisted lump of scorched ashes behind.

The young prince and his princess returned to the kingdom and received a hero's welcome. They were married as soon as possible and when the Lord died they ruled as Lady and her Lord over the people for many, many happy years.

_"Are there really firebenders who can bend white fire?" Aang asked, eyes wide with excitement. Iroh smiled and chuckled softly but Zuko answered faster._

_"No, it's just a bed-time story for children." He grumbled, but Katara was certain she'd caught a small smile or two hiding in the crinkled skin around his eyes._

_"That's not entirely true, there are legends about ancient firebenders who had the skill, it was said they were simply passionate enough that the flames in their hearts burned outwardly." Iroh explained softly._

_"A legend." Zuko snorted. "Exactly. Just a story."_

* * *

**Shard -- **Thank you, I smiled for days after your review because I think it was the first time someone ever really commented that I had a style of my own. It's sort of a new thing for me and it leaves me giddy beyond reasoning. 


	17. Bluebells on the Breeze

**I am officially on break! Whee. And here is the first of many plot-twists. cough **

** EVERYTHING WILL BE EXPLAINED! I promise! I'm having way too much fun with this and have been waiting to spring this on you so long I think I've come as close to perfecting the idea as possible. **

* * *

**  
**

"Are there really Firebenders who can bend _white _fire?" Aang asked, eyes wide with excitement. Iroh smiled and chuckled softly but Zuko answered faster.

"No, it's just a bed-time story for children." He grumbled, but Katara was certain she'd caught him smiling, just a small smile or two that hide in the crinkled skin around his eyes.

"That's not entirely true, there are legends about ancient Firebenders who had the skill, it was said they were simply passionate enough that the flames in their hearts burned outwardly." Iroh explained softly.

"A legend." Zuko snorted. "Exactly. Just a story." He looked more annoyed than anything else.

"They were more than just stories Zuko." Iroh murmured into his chipped teacup. Katara laughed, remembering well the stories her mother used to tell her and Sokka and how she would argue so vehemently with her brother that _of course _they were real. Of course, their bed-time stories had been about the Avatar and how he would save the world.

She snorted to herself and was about to point out that technically she had been right all those years and—_if memory served—_he owed her his seconds on dinner for a month because the Avatar really had come back.

She opened her mouth to point this out when her attention was caught, there was a flicker in the corner of her vision and she turned, certain it was nothing more than her imagination. Zuko caught her movement and then everything happened all at once.

Zuko lept over the fire and tackled her to the ground just before a dagger whistled through the air. It would have easily struck her between the eyes if Zuko hadn't moved her out of the way. Sokka was standing and Toph had already pulled a rock to her and thrown it into the woods, knocking aside two tall Cyprus(1) trees.

"Katara!" Aang's voice stabbed through the air, but Zuko was already on his feet and he'd dragged Katara to hers.

"It's an ambush!" He growled, his voice heavy and dark.

Firebending troops fell upon them from every direction, a full company(2) by the looks of it and that set Zuko on edge, because it was rare the person who commanded such a large group of soldiers. Sokka darted into the fray followed quickly by Zuko, each had their weapons drawn and they fought with the fervor one can have only with something precious to protect.

Katara fell beside Iroh and he shot her a devious sort of smile. They fought in sync as though they had practiced together for years. Fire and water twisted together in a strangely elegant sort of dance, fitting together more like puzzle pieces than elemental opposites.

Aang blasted aside wave after wave of troops but there always seemed to be that many more no matter how many he defeated.

"My, my, my Zuzu." Even over the din of the battle Zuko knew that voice all too well and his heart stilled in his breast. He whirled, swords at the ready and knuckles a stark white against the worn handles.

"Azula." He growled, sneering viciously and darting forward with the speed and grace of a jungle predator. She side-stepped him easily enough and laughed lightly at him, mocking him.

"Did you really think that you could do something so despicable as side with the Avatar of all people and it would go unnoticed? You managed to win the battle of that little piddling town..." She side-stepped another attack and her trademark blue fire blossomed from her fists, giving her face a strange pallor and making the wicked grin all the more ominous. "I heard they were _so _grateful for your help." She laughed as he attacked and missed again.

Iroh gasped in surprise when he saw the flair of blue and turned to see his niece and nephew facing off against each other. It was barely a moment but it was long enough to give a young Firebending soldier a chance and he blasted at the old man with everything he had.

He would have killed the old man—once and for all—if Katara hadn't been there. She swirled, arms out and there was a barrier of ice between Iroh and the troops before she even realized consciously the danger that was facing the old man. He might have been a misogynist but Pakku was a brilliant man and a better teacher.

She had learned well and she couldn't deny that.

Even if she wanted to at times.

Iroh spared her a smile before blasting his way through the troops in an attempt to reach Zuko's side. His safety was the farthest thing from his mind. Katara wondered for a moment at his behavior but then the camp was bathed in a deep blue glow and her heart nearly stopped.

_Azula._

She fought all the harder with the knowledge that Azula was behind the attack. Wave after wave of troops fell before her. In the background, somewhere under the sound of her heart pounding in her ears like a war drum, she could hear the screams of men as Toph lifted a large chunk of the earth just beneath their feet and sent them tumbling in all directions.

Katara was ready to fight her way to Aang's side and watch his back when another sharp dagger whistled through the air. Katara spun, water rising in a wave before her and through the rippling surface she could just make out golden eyes and a bored expression.

"It figures." She muttered darkly, where there was Azula, there were her cohorts Mai and...Katara spun, daring to take her eyes off Mai for a moment until she spotted Ty Lee who had made the mistake of attacking Toph and heading right for the pressure points that would take away her bending _and her sight._

Sokka had arrived at her side in and instant and fallen upon Ty Lee with more ferocious power than Katara could recall seeing him display ever before. Satisfied Katara turned back to Mai and went on the offensive, lunging at her and forming a dagger of ice as long as her arm and as wide around as she was.

Mai fell back but she wasn't defeated as easily as that and the two rose like waves and fell against each other, each struggling for the offensive position in the private battle.

The three Fire Nation girls were troublesome enough, but the extra hundred more-than-competent Firebending Soldiers were adding extra difficulty to the situation. Ty lee managed to land a strike on Toph and one strike is all someone as skilled as she needed.

With her bending ability gone Toph was as blind as she was in the air, and blind Ty lee easily pinned her hands and tugged a dagger against her pale throat. Even though Ty lee was more than capable of handling herself Mai always insisted that Ty lee carry at least one dagger.

She was just thrilled that under the cynicism Mai did actually care for her—at least enough to worry. Sokka tossed down his boomerang without a fight and Iroh was next, his fire vanishing with nothing but a few scattered tendrils of smoke. Katara—once she saw what was happening—dropped her water, splashing all those around her but submitting herself to being bound like the others. Zuko fell fighting, only crumpling when a soldier sneaked up behind him and struck him hard at the base of his skull.

Toph didn't know what was happening but she _was_ shouting, telling them to fight, and that drew Aang's attention from where he stood on the far edge of the fray.

Katara's heart jumped into her throat as she watched the distant flash of orange she could see. They were at the mercy of Azula and her guards and even in the Avatar state Katara wasn't certain if Aang could rescue them before Azula slaughtered them all where they knelt.

There was a moment of still silence. Everyone waited with bated breath to see what Aang would do, or what Azula would do. No one seemed certain and even those on Azula's side were worried. Whatever guesses anyone had about the outcome of the statement were wrong, no one could have guessed at what did happen.

From the trees came a war-cry that echoed back and suddenly a second army seemed to melt out of the trees, so reminiscent of the time that Jet and his so-called Freedom Fighters had saved them.

That was not the strange part of the proceedings, it was not the part that so startled everyone that not even Azula reacted at first. The people who spilled into the clearing looked normal and wore the tattered green and brown outfits of Earth Kingdom peasants, but when their benders fell upon the soldiers it was not the earth that they bent.

It was the air.

At the frightened shouts that suddenly erupted around them Toph started yelling again, and Sokka leaned close enough for her to hear he began to explain what was happening.

"We've all been captured, even Zuko and Iroh. Azula was ready to kill us all where we knelt based on whatever Aang chose to do." He explained, having to raise his voice for her to hear over the battle that exploded around them. "Airbenders Toph! Airbenders are coming out of the woods and saving us!" A small group fought through the crowd and spirited the bound group off into the trees and to freedom. They cut the ropes that bound their wrists and ankles and one even knew just where to strike Toph to undo whatever Ty lee had done.

"There are hundreds of them..." Toph whispered seeing that same fuzzy outline that hopped and skipped about. _Just like Aang's_.

"Yes. But and they will handle the fight." A young woman with long dark hair whispered. None of the benders bore the tattoos Aang did but they had the same grey eyes. "You need to follow us, we can heal you and hide you for now..." She paused and darted a glance back into the clearing. "If you will trust us."

Aang was in the clearing still fighting and Sokka and Toph looked to Katara, who looked first at the unconscious Zuko held up between two of the Airbenders who shouldn't exist to save them and then she looked to Iroh, who smiled and nodded, encouraging her to make the choice he saw in her blue eyes.

"Lead the way." She murmured, swallowing hard and repeating herself, her voice sounding more confident on the second attempt. The woman who had been talking nodded and motioned them to follow. Katara held up a hand. "Do you have any water? Any at all?" She asked softly, trying to maintain the strength that was coming from somewhere deep inside. The woman looked to her companions and a small water skin was produced.

"It has tea leaves in it...will that still do?" She asked. Katara nodded and bent the water easily. It fought her a bit but finally obeyed her. She smoothed her hands over Zuko's skull, his short hair feather-soft against her fingers. She was fascinated by the feel of it, new growth and caught somewhere between prickling and soft. When her fingers brushed over the large, sticky bump those thoughts scattered to the wind the water fought her again for a second but very slowly it healed the wound and Zuko stirred gently.

He moaned very softly and she could feel it reverberate through his throat and against her hand, which she withdrew as though she had been burned. The water ran loose now that she had let it go and trickled slowly off his ears and down his neck, waking him faster.

"What's happening...?" He managed as Iroh helped him to stand on his own.

"We are being saved. Be polite." Iroh admonished, earning a laugh from Sokka. Then, slowly to account for a still-woozy Zuko, the Airbenders lead them deeper into the forest.

* * *

**1 -- This is actually two notes but yeah here we go: number one. They've made it clear that animals are different in the Avatar-verse, but we've never discussed trees. They look normal to me, so...I went ahead and assumed the trees were normal, furthermore, Cyprus are a symbol of death. Which we will get to.**

**2- I called my father and asked him about this, according to him (and Wikipedia I don't trust the man's memory anymore.) a company of soldiers is generally (mind you this is in the American Army but give me a break just this once) one to two hundred soldiers. There's that.**

**Shard -- **I kid you not I called my _mother _hysterically excited! "Someone _named _my legend! I feel like a real author!" Given the time of night she was vaguely displeased but excited. Thanks. Seriously. **  
**


	18. A Handful of Diamonds

**MINI-WARNING:**

**I know a lot of you are Aang fans, I am right there with you I love the little guy too. However we have seen in several episodes that he can be dark and scary too, I mean just look at him when he enters the Avatar State. I want to play with this rarely seen side of him and what that means for him as the Avatar. So I understand if you're annoyed with me for taking away that Happy-Go-Lucky Penguin sledder, but give him a chance eh? Please?**

**But I do make mention of the episode that makes me think there's a darkness in him. "The Northern Air Temple" he shows us when he is furious with those who moved into the temple that he can...sometimes he doesn't see the good right away. I like that about him as much as I like the way he is so much fun. Hopefully I can do that side of him justice but I do apologize to those who don't like this side of him in advance.**

** With that out of the way I hope you all enjoy (as much as you can)!**

**And if you aren't all bored I wanted to issue a welcome! MrsDarcySparrow and Zukos-swig are both new readers who read through all seventeen chapters and left very lovely reviews, so I thought that, since you're both all caught up, I'd tell you all how thankful I am to all my readers, and hope you guys like hanging around here.  
**

* * *

**  
**

They trudged through the forest, their group stranger by the moment. A week before Katara would have drawn the line at a retired Fire Nation general and none other than the banished prince who had hunted them so long himself. She was certain that things couldn't get stranger than that; even when Zuko and Sokka started to get along, as well as either of them could.

Now she wasn't so certain. Now they were trudging through the heavy underbrush, with the air still heavy and thick with smoke, and they were following _Airbenders. _

Katara was brimming with questions and she could tell by the looks they kept shooting her that Sokka was as well. Aang on the other hand was quiet and withdrawn, clinging to his staff and staring, caught somewhere between hopeful and jaded. Her heart broke for him, he had taken it so very hard when he learned the fate of the other Airbenders, and he'd hoped for so long to find some _shred_ of their existence.

And now, when he had finally come to grips with what had happened to them, now they came back to him. She knew that sort of pain well, it had twisted like a dagger in her stomach when she'd finally made it to the Northern Water Tribe only to find out that _women _couldn't learn to Waterbend.

She had been lucky enough that Aang helped, tried to teach her where Pakku wouldn't.

If she knew how to help him in return, in this situation, she would.

Sokka hung near Toph, nearly tripping over her a few times if she stopped short. She finally stopped and whirled on him, shoving with all her might and easily knocking him over. "What is your problem Snoozles! Can't you see?" She shouted, startling the two Airbenders in the lead and bringing the whole precession to a jarring hault.

"No," Sokka started, glancing around nervously and shooting a pleading look at Katara. "No." He tried to sound more sure of himself this time.

"Then stop walking so close to me! It's driving me nuts!" She growled, stomping her foot and sending up a spray of loose soil and rocks.

She stomped off, and the Airbenders quickly started walking again, trying and failing to look as though they hadn't watched the small moment—entranced. Katara bent to help Sokka up and was surprised—she was getting tired of finding things so strange and startling—when Zuko bent faster, lugging Sokka to his feet with one swift motion.

The two boys looked at each other for a long moment, on the verge of saying something, _anything, _while Katara waited. Zuko looked away first, stomping off after the group.

"I was just..." Sokka started, looking at his sister helplessly.

"Toph was treated as though she were helpless her whole life, when eople helped her it was not out of kindness but as a way of reminding her that there was nothing she could do in their eyes. She is getting better, and adjusting but she is still not used to people who help because they care. She isn't used to the people who don't see her inability and want to help for no other reason than because they see her as a friend and want to lighten her load." Iroh's soft voice eased between them as the older man brought up the rear of the group with a tall and silent Airbending male that might have even dwarfed Hakoda—not that his children would ever admit that.

Sokka opened his mouth and raised one finger, about to launch into a point that—if Katara knew him at all—would make no sense to anyone but him. Thankfully he shut his mouth with a click of his teeth and took off with the rest of the group, still walking directly behind Toph but keeping his distance.

"It seems he is learning too." Iroh started conversationally as they slowly settled into the tail of the group.

"I don't think any of us were really ready for this sort of thing, and we're all learning in our own ways." Katara pointed out, her eyes trailing absently to Zuko with his stiff back and a small stain of blood still on the collar of the shirt he wore. It was the only reminder of the injury he had sustained and the warrior in Katara was furious that she hadn't been able to protect him, while the healer was thrilled she had saved him.

They came then to a steep and sudden upsweep of rock, with a jagged mouth of a cave leering at them through the darkness. "It's a mine." Sokka said after a moment.

"Yes. The village just over the hills," The female who spoke pointed in the direction of the village where they had fought Azula's troops with it's prejudice and selfish people. "It used to be a mining town, back before the war. The mines were abandoned and seeking shelter we took them over."

"Spreading rumors that they were haunted helped a little." The tall man murmured from behind Katara and Iroh. The woman who had spoken first laughed a little.

"Yes, it did." She admitted. "But they are quite safe despite the stories, please follow us." She ushered them into the mouth of the cave and before the half-light of the forest had completely faded she and her companions were lighting torches.

"Allow me." Iroh offered with a gentle smile, a small flame bursting into life in the palm of his hand, he held it out to her and she lit the torch, passing each of the travelers their own. The cave was large enough that six of them could have walked abreast of each other but still they fell into a sort of line, Aang at the head right behind the Airbenders in the lead.

"How long have you been down here?" He asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled over him since the fight. Katara brightened instantly, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth and her eyes shimmering even in the partial light offered by the bobbing torches. She was always worried about Aang, probably more than she worried about Sokka even. He just took everything to heart, the good and the bad and she never knew what to do for him.

She'd learned early enough that she could only do her best and then simply _wait _for him to come to terms with it on his own. That didn't stop her from worrying about him though and she brightened instantly knowing that he seemed to feel better.

"We've been living here since the Fire Nation decided to eradicate the last Airbenders. We started as a few select families that managed to escape some of the towns near the Airbender temples. After the first few waves of Soldiers we found that all we could do against their numbers was save those that we could." She explained, her soft voice reverberating back against them in the close confines of the tunnels.

"You mean...you just left them! You hid out down here and _let _the troops slaughter them?" Aang asked, horrified and furious. The woman stopped moving and turned, facing Aang with a sad smile as soft as her voice.

"It was a hundred years ago, I cannot be held responsible for the actions of my ancestors but I will tell you this, there were only a few hundred Airbenders left to fight, against thousands of Firebending Troops. It might have been the honorable thing to fight and protect their kind, but what about all the children that would have died if they didn't hide? You would be the only Airbender left if they had fought instead of hiding."

"That doesn't make it right!" Aang shouted, his voice cracking back against them loudly when it echoed.

"You would rather they had all died fighting?"

"They could have done _something_. You don't know that they would have died!" Aang shouted, tears building at the corners of his eyes.

"Don't be stupid." Zuko scoffed and Katara drew in a deep breath, holding it, she couldn't see how this would end well and she wasn't certain what would happen if Aang entered the Avatar state in such close quarters as this. Aang whirled on Zuko but the prince plunged on, everyone stared, entranced and afraid. "No matter what high standards you have a temple full of Airbenders plus a handful of renegades trying to save their children first would never have been able to take on an Army. It is just as wrong to sacrifice yourself for a lost cause and do absolutely no good as it is to walk away from a battle. They made the choice to protect their families and you would condemn them for that?" Zuko's face was hard and his voice was harder, but it was quiet and none of his words echoed.

Aang stood seething quietly, gripping his staff so tight that his hands shook. He didn't say anything but when the lady Airbender started walking again he followed, silent and furious again. Katara slid up behind him and reached out her hand to his shoulder but Iroh caught her wrist softly and shook his head. Katara stood for a moment, and then sighed and dropped her hand back to her side.

She didn't think there was anything she could say to Aang as it was, his view of the world was so black and white, things were good or they were bad and he had trouble finding and accepting that in between place. It was why he had had so much trouble when the inventor and his people moved into the Airbenders' temple, and why he hadn't understood why the inventor would just give the Firebenders whatever they wanted without fighting back.

She liked that about Aang, that he was so honorable and so loyal, but when it left him aching and confused and her with nothing to say to make him understand... She curled her fingers so tightly against her palm that even her short fingernails bit into the callused flesh.

"The Avatar is about balance in the world Katara, you know that better than anyone, he has to learn that there is a balance in everything. He has to accept that on his own or the lesson won't mean anything. Just give him time." Iroh whispered beside her, offering her a comforting smile even if it didn't help much.

"I know." She murmured back. "But..." She trailed off, shaking her head gently.

"It is difficult to watch someone you care about ache, I know." He told her.

Any further conversation died on their tongues as they finally reached their destination, the tight cave tunnel fell away into a large chamber that stretched so high into the air Katara couldn't even make out the ceiling. More guttering torches lined makeshift streets that lead between short, squat buildings. There was the soft hum of chattering conversation and squeaking wagon wells, the sounds of a whole town confined into a large cavern.

Sokka darted a glance at Toph who was smiling more gently than he had ever seen. "It's a whole city made of stone." She murmured, though he couldn't be certain she was talking to anyone beside herself. He couldn't help but grin himself, realizing that in the dim light afforded by the torches she could probably see better than any of them.

"It's so huge!" Katara almost completely forgot her worry for Aang in that moment, awed by the sheer expanse of the world these people had built beneath the ground over the course of a hundred years.

"We have remained untouched by the war, why would the Fire Nation look below ground for Airbenders they were sure they destroyed." The lady announced, smiling with pride as the entire group stared in awe at her home. She was proud of her home and her heritage and she glowed with it. "Come, our Elders would like to meet you." She said, motioning with her torch for them all to follow.


	19. The Red Dragon's Pearls

**Well this chapter is a bit later than you're all used to but it's also longer so hopefully that makes up for it.  
**

* * *

A tall man dressed in the same simple robes as the woman who was leading them approached. In one hand he gripped a spear as tall as Aang and then half again. Katara didn't doubt he knew how to use it as well as Zuko could use his swords. "Feng, the Elders have requested that you come before them in the grand chamber as soon as possible." She seemed to pale just a little. 

"I was going to take you there next anyway." She assured them with a smile that quivered just a little. "They'll want to meet you all." Her eyes lingered on Aang and she opened her mouth to say more but shouts in the distance drew the attention of even the tall guard. For a moment everyone looked ready to fight all over again, no matter how battered and tired they still were, but then there was a still moment and lifting up over the tall and tilted buildings all around them came the great white form of Appa, with Momo riding in a place of honor on his head and next to a young man who bore the marks of a hard battle.

"Appa!" Aang shouted, sounding suddenly joyful as he jumped into the air and latched onto Appa's face in the only kind of hug they could manage with their size differences. Katara couldn't help laughing herself when she saw this spectacle, she was just grateful to see Aang happy and carefree again.

Momo sailed off of Appa's head and curled himself around Aang's neck, and Katara was too far away to hear but she imagined he was purring in that soft way he had that just rumbled through you.

"Appa's back?" Toph struggled not to sound hopeful. She didn't enjoy flying and that was true but that didn't mean she didn't like the great furry beast. When the night was cold it was very nice to curl up against him even if his fur _did _itch.

"Oh..." Feng murmured, taking a stumbling half-step backward. "I never thought I'd see one out side of stories." She whispered and it startled Zuko to notice that her grey eyes were filling with unshed tears.

"You can tend to your Bison later. Right now, the Elders request your presence." The man with the spear said, his voice as hard as steel. Aang turned, his head but refused to let go of Appa's fur.

"Aang, Appa's probably starving, he hasn't had time for a proper meal...or a rest in a sheltered place for ages, he doesn't want to be cramped into a chamber with us while we talk." Katara interjected quickly.

"If it's any help he will be well taken-care of. People here have gone their whole lives wanting to see a real Sky Bison. I imagine they'll spoil him rotten." Feng pointed out. Reluctantly Aang let go of his friend and floated back to the ground slowly, while the stranger sitting on Appa's saddle gently tugged the reins and lead Appa to the shelter. He seemed to have perked up a bit at the mention of food but Katara was never sure how much he really understood.

Momo jerked, tempted to follow after Appa, but Aang rested a hand on the lemur's back and Momo stayed where he was, making certain to butt his head against Aang's chin.

The group followed Feng, who followed the man with the spear through twisting streets and finally into a tunnel that lead out of the large chamber that the town had been built in, guttering torches lead their way and they walked in silence other than Momo's soft cooing.

They had to walk single file up a thin staircase carved into the rock and then suddenly they were in another chamber. This was much smaller than the first, only the size of a room, but it was no less grand. The floor was smooth but it bore a map of the four nations and how they had once been before the Fire Nation began to take over. Thick curtains ringed the room, hiding the stone walls and the ceiling glimmered somehow and looked like the night sky. Katara was entranced, craning her neck to take in the glory.

"They're stones. Stones that glow." Toph murmured to Sokka.

"It's just like looking at the stars." He managed softly.

"Is it?" He was started for a moment, he had never though of that; never realized that Toph didn't know what the sky looked like.

"Better." He choked on the word.

"Liar." But she smiled at him all the same.

At the front of the room, farthest from the door they entered through there were five stone chairs arranged before a long table. Two women and three men, still in Earth Kingdom colors though these clothes were decidedly nicer than the ones everyone else wore, sat in the seats.

"Feng." One of the women said, her voice low but loud enough to fill the room. "Why have you brought strangers here?"

"A better question is why she has disobeyed our rules and revealed herself to the outside world. To Fire Nation troops no less!"

"The Princess Azula, _heir apparent to the Fire Nation throne!_"

"But," Feng started, walking forward a few steps and dropping to her knees on the smooth floor. "These people..." She started, then stopped and tried again. "This is the Avatar and his companions! I couldn't let them be captured!"

The five broke out into chatter amongst themselves for a moment. "The Avatar? And how do you know?"

"He's an Airbender like us! Like the Avatar is meant to be! He bares Tattoos we have not granted out Monks since our temples fell! They travel on a great Sky Bison, I've seen it myself!" The things she said were all true but her voice was high and reedy and it sounded almost as though she were grasping at straws, _begging them to understand. _

"Is what she says true?" The first woman who spoke asked.

"I am the Avatar! And I do travel on a Sky Bison." Aang said, trying to smile and nodding his head emphatically.

The Elders gathered stared at him.

"And how do you come to be traveling with these two?" The man speaking gestured at Zuko and Iroh. "The banished prince and the famed general of the Fire Nation?"

"They are my teachers. I have to master all four elements before I can restore balance to the world." Aang said, his voice becoming serious for a moment and Katara was proud of him, there might have been a time when he would have jumped in to defend the two men rather than use his title to defend them as he was now.

"Our intelligence said that the Fallen Prince was hunting you and your friends in an attempt to regain his right to the throne." Aang opened his mouth to answer but the man who spoke cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Let the prince answer for himself."

Katara sucked in a hiss of air and held it. She knew that they should trust Zuko and she was trying harder to get along with him but he had a short temper and she could not deny that. She did not know how he would handle this.

Iroh stiffened beside Zuko but held his head high. He knew Zuko knew how to handle this and he could only hope that the angry boy inside didn't let his temper override his common sense.

Zuko was silent for a long moment, "All I wanted was for my father to accept me. Not as his heir but as his son." He swallowed hard and if he hadn't caught the proud look hiding in Iroh's eyes he might not have had the patience to continue. "I realize now that my place on the throne might be restored but that he cannot give me what I really want." He paused and closed his eyes, a little pained at having to be so open in front of so many people.

The phrase 'trial by fire' came to mind.

"I already have what I want." He murmured, and again his eyes darted to Iroh.

Zuko could have been certain that for a moment there was a pained look in the old man's golden eyes but the young man assured himself that that was simply Iroh's way. Zuko had wanted desperately to have his father's love and he could only gain Iroh's. That was enough for Zuko now, but he was certain that no matter how honestly he looked to Iroh like a father, the old man would always be pained by the knowledge that Zuko had wanted something else with all his heart once.

He could not take back the years of wanting Ozai to Iroh, but he could try to make up for them. He might never remove that sad look from Iroh's eyes, but he would gladly spend his whole life trying. The Elders were quiet for a long moment and Feng was still kneeling before them in the center of the room.

"We are displeased that you acted without consulting us first." One of the men spoke. "But we cannot say that you acted any differently than what we would have suggested. The Avatar is more important than us and it was necessary to save him rather than keep our home a secret. Perhaps we have hidden so long we just don't know what else to do with ourselves. Avatar..." The man speaking sighed heavily. "You are free to go anywhere you wish in our city, see anything and do anything you like. Feng lead them where they want to go. We have much to discuss but you are tired from your fight. Rest and we will talk to you later."

Feng nodded and jumped to her feet, she lead the group back the way they had come and the Elders fell to talking to each other in quiet tones, the soft hum fading as the group drew farther and farther away from them.

"We may live underground but we have just about anything you could imagine, part of our secrecy is so that in small groups we can travel to the surrounding villages and shop for supplies. We have a theater and a market and a tea house...Where can I lead you?" Feng asked, clapping her hands together. In an instant Sokka and Iroh and Aang were all talking about just where they wanted to go and Feng stumbled backward a little startled. Even Momo joined in the fray, leaning forward on Aang's shoulder and chittering wildly.

"Maybe..." She laughed. "Avatar I can lead you to the barns where Appa will be and I can give you directions to the Market. That's the center of the town and you can find anything you like from there." Feng offered.

"That would be fine my lady, especially after you have already done so much for us." Iroh said kindly. Feng smiled.

"And when you're tired simply come here," She had been walking again as she spoke and now she held her arms wide to indicate the home they stood in front of. "We often take in refugees and until they get settled in their own homes they stay here, Madam Li is very nice and she'll show you the rooms that are open when you are ready. If you can't find anything just ask anyone, we tend to gossip a bit more than necessary but we're all really very nice." Feng laughed a little breathlessly.

The group fell apart quickly, Aang following after Feng with Momo riding on top of his head and the two of them bursting with excitement. Iroh walked off with Toph toward the Tea Shop that Feng had pointed out and just before they disappeared from view Sokka decided to join them and was off like a shot.

"Well, I'm going to go stock on supplies for when we leave. You're welcome to come with if you like." Katara said with a half-smile at Zuko.

"Why would I want to do that?" He asked and Katara sighed heavily, bristling even though she reminded herself that he was trying as best he knew how.

"I didn't think you would want to, I just wanted to offer so you didn't have to wonder about alone." She told him, turning and walking off in the direction of the market. Zuko watched her go and frowned. He felt like he'd done something wrong, though he didn't have the slightest idea of what. Furthermore he didn't understand why he was suddenly so adverse to the idea of letting Katara wonder alone around this strange place.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably and he growled softly, jogging a bit to catch up to her.

He opened his mouth to say something when she looked at him, but he didn't know himself why he'd decided to come along. He was startled when she just smiled and stayed silent, falling into step beside him easily. "Why don't you make your brother help. He eats more than any of us." Zuko suggested. Strangely he felt guilty that all the work seemed to fall on Katara's shoulders. Another strange thing he would have to ask Iroh about. Katara let loose a loud bark of laughter and Zuko actually jumped very slightly.

"Sokka can't be trusted to take anyone's taste into consideration but his own when he's shopping, and if you'd ever tried his cooking you'd understand why I do it." Her smile seemed far away. "Besides in our tribe the men don't do cooking and Sokka's getting better at not being so chauvinistic, but he has a long way to go." Katara pointed out with a half-shrug.

* * *

**Shard -- **Glad you liked it, everyone was so kind I was really surprised. And I'm also glad that you enjoyed it was Zuko who pointed that out to Aang, it certainly made me smile. 


	20. Lilac's Many Faces

**Okay, wanted to warn you all in advance, next week on Friday I'm going to Italy, I should be able to make that update, and I'm looking into having a friend upload the chapter for me while I'm gone...but I might miss one or two in there. Sorry in advance! **

**By the way, to any new readers or old readers who were uncertain, I'm keeping track of all the chapter titles and I will explain them all at the end of the story. I don't think I'm allowed a chapter of something like that alone, so I'll figure something out when we get there. Just wanted to let you know in case you were curious. **

** But here's a squishy chapter...Wow, that only took me twenty chapters. I'm just _speeding _along aren't I :)**

**And AzureAquarius, this chapter is dedicated to you, I couldn't figure out how to make things work, and then I got your review and was like, AH-HAH!  
**

* * *

**  
**

It was not just pride that motivated Feng to assure the Avatar and his friends that her city had all the comforts and conveniences of a city built above ground, it proved to be true. There were thin tunnels too small for even mole-rats to squeeze through with great rotating fans, these were manned by an airbender at all times who kept the air circulating so the caverns were always filled with fresh air. They could not farm with no sunlight, but they kept heards of sheep-chickens and sold the eggs at markets and made the wool into textiles and sometimes even clothing to bring in a higher price. The money was used to buy harvested crops from above ground.

Other than the light of the sun they lacked nothing and wanted for nothing. At first Katara had been unsure how they could possibly know what time it was but that question had been answered when from the center of the town a great bell tolled the hour. It was loud enough to carry throughout all the caverns that the Airbenders inhabited and even loud enough to rattle the teeth of those nearby.

Both Katara and Zuko had leapt to the defensive when they heard the sound, but when people move on with their business it dawned slowly on the pair what just what the ruckus had marked. Katara had laughed, long and loud. She laughed more because she was grateful that nothing terrible was happening than because it was actually funny. Zuko stared at her openly for a moment but she calmed down and sighed softly at his confusion. "Come along then. If you insist on following me you're going to help me shop."

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her back but followed just the same. It seemed to be another of those things said more in jest than anything else. He still was not used to that. Commands that lacked authority and jokes that weren't meant to hurt...it was strange and he could at least recognize them now, but he didn't understand them.

"How can your brother and the eart---" He bit off the words before they could tumble out of his mouth. "Your brother and _Toph_," He could not see it but Katara smiled softly, he_ was _trying. He might never get along properly with Sokka but then again that wasn't his fault it was just the way Sokka was with everyone. But the smile faded when the question registered with her mind.

"What do you mean?" Her voice took on a harsh edge she hadn't meant but that was more out of disappointment than anything else. She was afraid that after everything he still didn't see that friendship was something you worked for.

"You said that women do the work in your Tribe, and the—Toph, she doesn't seem the type to suffer that attitude in others." He explained, ignoring or missing her tone.

"Oh. Well, I think part of it is that Toph enjoys teasing Sokka and it gives her reason to. Besides every culture has it's own traditions and she's learning to accept that now that she's out in the world and experiencing more than what her parents wish of her." Katara explained as she inspected a bushel of peppers.

It was getting harder to find food that everyone agreed on the more people were added to their family but Katara had been taught to cook and she had found that many of the wives working vegitable stands were willing to trade recipes. "I'm sure the Fire Nation has it's own views about the roles of men and women." She added as an after-thought.

"We believe they are meant to stay in the home but that doesn't mean that they cannot protect themselves." He agreed, silently slipping to stand beside her, inspecting what she planned to buy and realizing suddenly he could offer no help beyond carrying things. It was disorienting to be so helpless. While at one time it would have enraged him, now it did not bother him so much.

He _trusted _that Katara knew what she was doing.

"Really? You mean in the Fire Nation women are trained to fight right along side the men?" She was fascinated now and it showed in her eyes and the way they glimmered. Zuko looked at her, a little confused by her enthusiasm and set down the melon he had lifted absently.

"Not really. They are trained separately but that's because the royal girls learn as well and..." He stumbled, "well, because their parents would rather the women were taught _by _women." Katara tilted her head, confused, and then it dawned on her and she chuckled.

"I suppose I can understand that. Besides the girls would just make the boys look bad I imagine." Zuko wasn't certain what to say, he knew she was teasing, slightly, but he wasn't certain he was ready for that or not. Katara took pity on him and changed the subject as she moved to a different stall in the market. "So do you have arranged marriages there?" Her voice was softer and sadder than she would have liked, but being at the North Pole had reminded her what could have been in store for _her _if the war had never come to their tribe.

"Not arranged really." He didn't understand the soft look in her eyes, faraway and sad all at once. "Fathers will propose to the women on behalf of their sons. The sons haven't any say in it and the women can't request a man, but they can turn him down." He shrugged. "The lower the class the less it matters whom you marry so sons will ask their fathers to propose to a certain woman. But for higher classes the fathers pick whichever woman will best suit their political needs." He would have probably married one of Azula's friend's. Ty Lee was a higher rank before she ran away to the circus. He could not help imagining how life would have been married to someone like that.

He could not repress the burble of laughter that spilled out of him and for a brief moment he hoped that Katara had not heard it, but by the startled look and the way she spun to face him there was little chance of that.

"What's so funny?" She asked, curious considering Aang had tried desperately to get the stoic young man to laugh for the last few weeks they had traveled together. He frowned but it did nothing to deter her and so he heaved a great sigh and looked away.

"I would have probably been married to Ty Lee if I had not been banished and she had not turned me down." He explained. "And she hadn't run away to the circus." He muttered under his breath. Katara could hardly imagine the Ty Lee she knew doing something so harmless as working in a Circus, and yet at the same time it seemed to fit startlingly well. "I just was imagining what that match might have been like."

He winced and dared to glance up and meet her blue eyes.

She grinned wickedly. "You're right. That would be..." She searched for a word. "Interesting. Almost as unbalanced a match as you and I would make." She turned and walked toward the next booth. "Maybe you and Momo." She threw over her shoulder. But Zuko stood frozen where he stood. Him and some Water Tribe _peasant? _

What was more unsettling was the way his stomach twisted into a knot at the mere mention of it. And the way the thought stuck in his head like a burr.

He followed after her like a man in a dream. _ Why had she said such a daft thing as that?_ Or worse yet, why had it been so easy for her to joke about and brush off when the idea refused to leave him be? She _would _be a worse match than even Ty Lee...

And she was a peasant...

And a Master of her Element.

She was stronger with her Waterbending than he was with his Firebending. That didn't matter though, not _really_ because he had beat her on several occasions. She was useless without a _source_ of water, and even if he lost his bending he still could fall back upon his swords.

Still the idea—however laughable it was—would not leave him be.

* * *

It had taken his old bones a moment to get comfortable on the floor but he was well settled now. Toph sat across from him with her legs folded under her and one hand pressed with surprising tenderness to the floor. Her other hand was cupping her chin, the elbow digging into her knee. 

A Pai Sho board sat between them and Sokka had drawn away one of the wobbling chairs from the veranda of the tea shop. He sat in it backwards with his arms folded over the back and watching the game intently.

Toph could see the board through the ground like this but she could not read what the pieces were. So as to ensure no one cheated—not that Toph would have cared even if Iroh _did _try—Sokka was there to announce which piece it was when Toph brushed her fingers against it before moving. Iroh in turn announced each piece when he made his move.

The old man was very impressed with how calmly she had taken his suggestion that they play this way. She really was getting used to the difference between help and hindrance when it came to her blindness.

Of course he was far more interested in the way that the young boy was _watching _Toph. He even made sure that his feet didn't quiet touch the ground so that the Earthbender couldn't feel the vibrations of his heart.

Iroh remembered well long afternoons of playing Pai Sho simply as an excuse to spend time with his lady before they were properly married. The chaperons would get bored with the lengthier games and wonder off leaving Iroh and his lady alone.

It had—originally—been the only reason he _learned _the game. Though now he enjoyed the game very much for more reasons than just because it reminded him of hazy afternoons and soft eyes. "You know Sokka, Toph is a wonderful player, I am sure between the two of us we could teach even you to play the game." Iroh offered as Toph examined the board.

"Wagon Wheel." Sokka murmured softly when Toph at last touched a piece. "And no thanks Iroh. I'm fine like this."

Iroh wondered if it was the senility that Zuko accused him of or if it really did seem like the boy was far more content to act as Toph's eyes when she needed him. He seemed to hold the position in high reguard since he was willing to waste an afternoon watching a game he held no love for.

Iroh brushed it off and moved his lotus piece. "You just struck me as bored and I thought to try and help." Iroh said in an off-hand manner. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Sokka straighten swiftly and the glassy sheen to his eyes faded.

"I'm fine." He assured them.

"Then stick to your job Snoozeles." Toph snapped, rapping her fingers on the piece she was considering moving.

"Warhorse." Sokka supplied quickly. Iroh chuckled behind one hand and wondered if maybe he was the only one to notice. At times it seemed certain that even Sokka wasn't aware of the way he doted on Toph, desperate for approval.

Iroh pushed those thoughts into the back of his head, determined to focus on the game as Toph had already beaten him once today. Still it was an interesting realization and it did need further examination when Iroh had the time.

Absently he picked up the the tea pot and heated it, pouring a steaming glass for each of the three gathered. Toph always appreciated a fine cup of tea, almost as much as Iroh himself. Sokka—Iroh was certain—could not tell Oolong from Ginsing, but he tried to sound knowledgeable all the same, and he always took a cup if it was offered.

Iroh hid his smile in a long drink of tea.

When he was young and in love he had been more like Sokka than he cared to admit. He recalled long nights of pouring over Pai Sho strategy books from his Father's library and memorizing the significance of each and every piece so that he knew them backwards and forwards. He had such grand plans to impress her with this famed move and that complex pattern.

Of course it was to little avail because the moment she smiled at him in _that _way everything flew out of his head and all he could think was how her eyes looked so lovely when they caught the light just right. Once they planned to marry the games rarely finished at all.

Iroh had to stop himself from sighing aloud, _ahh. Young love._

* * *

**Shard -- **I'm glad you like the pace of his growth and I hope you continue to. I don't want it to be agonizingly slow, but it has to fix the character and I am trying to achieve that. It's hard to write someone so stoic when most people are rather certain I'm a heart-on-my-sleeve, open book kind of hopeless romantic. Hopefully if I start to slip you will point it out... 


	21. The Spirit of Mars

**Okay so I didn't get another chapter written, this one barely got done with all that needs to be done prior to my departure. But there are lots of twists revealed in this chapter so hopefully you all can throughly enjoy wondering just where I'm going with all this while I'm enjoying my much needed vacation. **

**Also depending on when you review I might be able to respond before my trip, otherwise I'll see you all when I return and I will be back on schedule with only one missed day on my record.**

**Whee for me. **

**Anyway, please do enjoy and remember that I do have everything planned out this twist is not completely out of left field. Uh...I think that's all I really had to say. I adore you all, old and new, and I will have lovely stories for you when I'm back.**

**Oh, and the names, I totally plucked them out of the internet so if my Japanese is horrific do blame the fact that I have never taken a lesson in my life, it just seemed mildly inappropriate to use Russian names you know?  
**

* * *

**  
**

They spent the night in the town and it wasn't until lunchtime the next day that the Elders requested a meeting with the Avatar. Only Aang was officially invited but he insisted on the others coming along with him, even Momo. Katara smiled to herself, certain that if the halls were larger Aang would have insisted Appa come as well. She could understand that desire of his though. The young boy had been through so much in his short life and lost all the friends he had known while he was trapped in the iceberg.

Family had become very important to him and once he considered you family he would fight to the death to protect you.

It was what Katara loved best about him.

The Elders were displeased when the large group entered their Meeting Hall.

"Avatar Aang, we requested to meet with you, your teachers," The man speaking looked down his nose at them, sparing an especially spiteful glare at Zuko and Sokka, "have no need to be here." His voice was as thick and syrupy sweet as honey. Momo hissed from Aang's shoulder, digging small claws, too tiny to hurt, into the soft flesh there.

"They are not just my teachers, they are my friends, my _family_. Whatever you have to say to me can be said to them as well." Iroh smiled proudly. There were times he wondered how the hopes of the entire would could rest on the shoulders of one so young. At times like this, however, he knew that Aang would be able to save the day and that the people were right to place their hope in him.

The Elder who had spoke sighed heavily but began to speak all the same. "Have you heard of the comet that approaches?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah! That's why I have to master all four elements before the Summer Solistic otherwise Ozai will be able to use it to increase his power just like Sozin did!" Aang explained, excited and nervous all that once. It seemed rare that he knew what was his duty as the Avatar, he was thrilled that for once he required no teacher, but the reminder of his deadline always sent a lance of fear through him. Sokka had summed it up perfectly. It had taken him almost twelve years to master Airbending; even with all the previous Avatars inside him somewhere how was he to manage?

The Elders murmured to each other in confusion and were silenced when one of the women stood in a swirl of plain robes.

"I think you do not know the full story." She started calmly.

"Avatar Roku explained it to me!" Aang insisted. Katara took a half-step forward, reaching out to touch Aang's arm and stopping herself before she did. Instead she curled her fingers tight against her palm and let her hand drop to her side.

"Avatar Aang," She started, and then stopped, searching for the right words. "I trust Avatar Roku, legend has it he was one of the wisest of all the Avatars. However, that is only a fraction of the story, and there are few who know what really happened...time has faded parts of it to mere legend." Her voice was gentle and reminded Katara for a moment of a mother soothing a child, but the mention of how much time had passed since the reign of Roku hurt Aang deep down, no matter how kindly it was said.

"He did not _use _the comet to strengthen his powers. The comet did not come nearly close enough to affect the power of Firebenders any more than the sun already strengthens them." Another member spoke, an older woman who leaned heavily on a gnarled staff when she stood. "The comet provided him with another sort of power though, a power even more ancient than Bending." She explained, her voice rattling like the wind through branches. "I am sure they have heard tell of this." She said turning pale eyes to Iroh and Zuko.

"I have. There is not a child in the Fire Nation who has not heard the legend, it is as popular a bed-time story as The Legend of the White Fire and Rong, who leads home the spirits of Soldiers killed in far away lands." Iroh said, trying to keep his voice level and calm. He knew the Airbenders had been famous for their records and their knowledge of all things but to think that they believed in such a childish legend was startling.

Then again, Iroh knew better than anyone that legends were steeped in truth, he was—after all—standing in a room underground and speaking with a group of Airbenders, living in their city long after they were all supposed to have been purged from the face of the world.

"It is not a legend." The first woman with the voice that was so soft and kind said. She turned back to the others. "Sozin used an Ancient magic to bind himself to the comet. Avatar you have traveled to the other realm have you not?" She asked. Aang nodded, not trusting his voice. His throat felt constricted and he was bubbling with more emotions than he could name. "Then you have met at least one of the spirits to the nations." She smiled. "Hei Bai, the Panda Spirit who guards the Earth Kingdom, or possibly Wan Pi, the wise Monkey who keeps care of our own people no matter how far we fall from our temples." She stopped and watched Aang's face carefully. "There is also Zhi gaint wolf spirit who watches over those from the Water Tribe. The Lion Lao Tai-ye is the fighting spirit in the Fire Nation souls."

Aang was grateful to her and—not for the first time—he wished that there were someone to train the Avatar. It was his own fault that he could not learn from Roku, he had run from his duties and it had cost him his teacher.

True Roku was still trying to teach him, but it was not the same. If he had a question about Bending he could ask his teachers, any of them right then. But he had not yet found a way to call the previous Avatar to him.

"Sozin used this ancient magic to become the Fire Spirit in place of Lao Tai-ye, usurping the powers available to the proper spirit and _that _is how he became powerful enough to unbalance the world. He sealed the other spirits into the Spirit World where they could not help their own countries and he sent his people out to conquer the world." She sighed and looked down at the table in front of her.

"He did not realize that when the comet left he would be dragged into the Spirit World as well." One of the men, and one of the youngest on the council, piped up without missing a beat. "When the comet returns he will be released once more and the world will have far more to fear than _just _the Fire Nation. By now he has no doubt come to realize his full powers. He is a God among Men and it will take the _Avatar _to match him." He stopped there, but everyone heard what went unsaid.

_Even the Avatar might not be strong enough to win._

Katara found herself unable to breathe for a long moment, her heart was breaking as she worried for the young boy who had come to mean so very much to her. She cared as much for him as she cared for Sokka and Toph and it was at times like this that she could not deny that they were all in very real trouble.

It was times like this that she _knew _they were fighting a war. The same war that had killed half her tribe, stolen away her father and killed her mother.

She did not care to admit how very often she dreamed of blood stained snow, the choking burn of smoke and screaming children.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. They would not die. She could heal and Toph was a better fighter than anyone Katara had ever known. Iroh was a proper general who had lived through worse and Sokka was as brave as Toph was powerful.

And Aang...

Aang was the Avatar. He could not loose. Balance had to be restored to the world or no one would survive to rule, in chaos or otherwise.

"You need to find just when the Comet will come." The old woman suggested in her soft voice. "The Waterbenders will know." Katara looked up, startled. "Those in the Northern Tribe can read the heavens like most of us read books. They will be able to tell you the exact date of when the comet will come. I would suggest traveling there next."

Aang nodded, his young face serious. One of the others spoke up. "Your supplies were lost when the Fire Princess Azula attacked, we will make certain you have all that you need for your trip. But a word of advice?" Aang nodded. "Make haste Avatar. I hate to put so much on the shoulders of just one man but the world is depending on you." It was said with the seriousness of a death sentence but Aang seemed to straighten under the praise. So often he had been slung between being a child and being an adult but it was the first anyone had called him a man. There was a surge of pride that flooded through him and it strengthened him.

"To the Water Tribe for information, and to the Earth Kingdom for more troops. We will need a grander army than our small settlement can provide." Aang looked up, startled and confused.

"What?" He asked, his voice cracking in the slightest.

"We did not hide out of cowardice. We hid so that we could fight when we had a chance of winning. We will follow you into battle Avatar. Follow you to victory and to freedom." The Elders were old and wizened all of them, but they managed a grand cheer at that.

"Too long we have hidden away underground, it is time to take our proper place in the sky once more. A place near out element."

Aang found that it was far more terrifying that empowering. People will putting their lives in his hands. They had always told him that _the Avatar _would save the world and restore peace and balance. This was not like that, it was like crossing the gorge and trying to save all those people who couldn't stop arguing. They were not putting their lives in the hands of the Avatar—into the hands of whomever held that title—they were following him. Aang.


	22. Libra's Scales

**Italy was beyond fabulous (really the only way I can tell you how fabulous is that I already want to go back) and I think your lovely well-wishes and your patience really helped me enjoy it as much as I did. I love this story and I don't look at it as work--especially when I have such kind people who tell me lovely things at the end of each chapter, but it was nice to get away. It was nice to not worry about anything beyond "What's the conversion rate again" and "oh crap why did I buy a map in a language I can't read?". **

**Anyway, I am back, safe and sound and with a new chapter. Hopefully I won't miss another update like that but at least now I know that you all are just excruciatingly kind when it comes to being patient with me. I hope you enjoy even if it is just another "setting things up" kind of chapter. **

**And if you don't mind me being sappy for just a moment longer...I can't say 'Thank you' enough. You guys are so patient and kind to me and really you're the most fun part of writing this story. The response and the support has just been mind-boggling even when I take twenty chapters to get to even a hint of the Zutara I promised and when I miss an update so I can go enjoy myself on Holiday. You guys are probably more than I deserve but I love you all. Okay enough of that and onto the chapter eh?**

* * *

Aang did not join the rest of the group as they went to resupply the everyday things like the pots and pans and even a teapot for Iroh—Katara was certain she'd seen Zuko grin when Sokka tried to by flint and Iroh had to explain why they didn't need it.

Feng took Aang to the small section of the caves where they had managed to carve a proper Airbending temple out of the rock.. It helped that some of the refugees living underground were Earth Benders. He found a small secluded corner and settled down to meditate, praying all the while that whatever power had called Roku to him those times would come again and help him now.

The people in the Market, now that they realized that the strangers in their midst were the friends and teachers of the Avatar, refused all the group's money and offered up the best wares they could. Zuko had lept in an instant reminding Iroh that just because things were free did not mean that the old man could walk off with the whole market. Zuko was the only one who seemed startled when Katara's voice had instantly joined his, though her tone and words were far softer.

He fell behind Iroh by a step, and he glanced at Katara just as she tossed a glance back at him. Neither could name it, or explain it's importance, but when blue met gold for that brief second, something happened. Something powerful and strange and completely alien to the both of them.

They looked away, startled and scared. Both of them struggled to pretend that nothing at all had happened.

Zuko found that when they shopped in a large group of people he had to do less work, but he didn't enjoy it anymore than he had enjoyed shopping alone with Katara. The thought terrified him because it meant that he was growing attached to her. He was supposed to be the Fire Nation Heir and he was growing attached to a Water Tribe girl of low birth. She made him smile and for whatever reason it was hard to call these strange feelings deep in the pit of his stomach friendship.

He liked to think he was friends with Sokka. It was a strange friendship based on the mutual knowledge that they were nearly equal fighters, but it was a friendship all the same. Though he did not consider Katara and he equal fighters he did realize friendship could be many different things.

Still, it didn't seem right to call this near-painful twist in his belly friendship. When Sokka laughed he usually laughed too—or wanted to hit him—but when Katara smiled Zuko found himself plotting on how to repeat whatever action had caused the smile in the first place.

He had a sinking suspicion that he knew what it was he felt for Katara, but that didn't mean he wanted to face the fact. So instead he helped carry the new supplies and made a mental note to talk with Iroh when he could. Maybe it was just something he couldn't see, a strange kind of friendship he had no knowledge of; Iroh would know.

On the other side of town, surrounded by the heady air filled with incense and the scent of melting candle wax Aang sat with his legs carefully folded and his hands resting lightly on his knees. Even though nothing extraordinary had happened the meditating did help to clear his mind and calm his nerves.

He couldn't have guessed how long he sat there in the dim room filled with the soft and almost distant sound of chanting, but eventually—long after he had lost count of how many breaths he took—the world seemed to fall away slowly like water running through fingers. There was a moment where there was nothing beyond him and his heart thudding in his chest and the sound of his breathing and then his ears filled with a roaring noise as a world crashed into him again, leaving him with that light and fluttering sensation that came with being in the Spirit Realm.

"Avatar." Aang didn't need to open his eyes to _know _it was Roku standing before him. He didn't even need to hear the older man's voice. Roku was as much a part of him as his heart or his arms. Aang _knew _when Roku or any of the spirits of any of the other Avatars were near.

"Roku." Aang opened his eyes and stood, moving slowly, as though he were wading through thick rice pudding. He waited a moment but then he could hold it in no longer and his questions poured out of him, one after the other. Although he knew it was hardly necessary to ask, Roku usually knew whatever troubled Aang as well as Aang did.

"How am I supposed to defeat Sozin when he has had _a hundred years_ of practicing and I still haven't yet mastered all the Elements? And what about the Balance? When Zhao killed the Moon Spirit the world started falling apart. All the Waterbenders lost their powers." Even Aang had felt the loss, like a part of him missing, similar and completely different from the sensation of Ty Lee and her pressure point to remove bending. "Won't the same happen if I kill Sozin?" He supposed that at the very least he should be used to the idea by now but he was still a Monk at heart and it grated against every fiber of his being to think of killing anyone.

At the same time he knew he had to, he knew that the world could not survive if Sozin ruled. A part have him had secretly hoped that all he had to do was lead the army, empower and encourage the people and let them handle it. He did not want to have to live with himself after having stained his hands with blood—even if other Avatar's had done that already.

Roku smiled, very softly, and with a sliver of pride glittering in his eyes.

"Valid concerns Aang." He murmured. "The Spirits rule just like mortal Kings and Chiefs. They do eventually fade and are replaced. Like mortal rulers there is sometimes one that is a poor choice for his station.

"More harm is likely to come to the world with Sozin leading as the Fire Spirit than if you were to destroy him. And do you not recall the young woman who took the Moon Spirit's place?" Roku reminded him and in the distance Aang could see Yue with her fluttering robes and hair. She smiled placidly and very slowly ducked her head to him; the only sign that she could see him at all.

"But she was touched by the Moon Spirit." In whispered voices by the campfire one night Katara had told Aang the whole story of everything he had missed that night in the North Pole. Her voice had been pitched low and when she talked he could feel her breath against his ear. _She _had been trying to keep Sokka from waking and hearing because he had been _so _in love with Yue. Katara hadn't been certain how he would handle hearing of Yue's sacrifice like it was some fable.

Aang had barely heard what she was saying over the sound of his blood rushing in his ears. She had been so close to him and even over the overpowering scent of the woodsmoke he could just make out something he attributed to her. The smell of freshwater and dust with just a little of the scent that clung to people who spent so much time on Appa. Like home and love all wrapped into one.

"That is true, but every Waterbender is touched by the Moon as well, just as every Earthbender is touched by the Earth Spirit and every Airbender is touched by the Air Spirit." Roku pointed out.

"So," He thought for a moment, his grey eyes darting to the ground as though that might help him think and reason through things. "So," He started again, "any Firebender could take the place of the Fire Spirit?" He had a thought of Iroh taking over the position and the thought made him sad. He had grown to care very much for the old man, a Father-Figure that reminded him so very much of Gyatso.

Aang nearly understood in that moment, just why Sokka had been so very sad to see Yue go even if she was moving on to something so much greater.

"No, not just any Firebender." Roku corrected, and a lance of fear went through Aang. He had enough trying to find an army, lead it, seek out the comet, sneak into the Fire Nation and on top of everything over-throw Ozai. He did not want to have to find the proper Firebender as well.

"Who then?" Aang asked, his voice taking on a sharp edge as desperation bubbled up wildly inside.

"I will take the Fire Spirit's place. It is the only way with things as they are." Roku explained with a half-smile that wasn't nearly as comforting as Aang needed.

"But..." He was confused. The way Katara had told the story Yue had to give her life to be the Moon Spirit and Roku was already dead. Aang lost the feeling in his legs. He dreaded for a moment that Roku meant _the Avatar _would take the place of the Fire Spirit and that Aang would be tied to the position, forever without Katara and abandoning the world once more while another Avatar struggled into power without a teacher.

"Aang," The young boy hadn't known that the Great Avatar Roku could make his voice sound so kind and understanding. "The Avatar is not like others in the world. You _know _this." Aang felt a little guilty at that. He was certain that somehow Roku knew of his plans. Knew that Aang refused to give up on Katara and planned to love her most of all no matter what his duties as Avatar were. "When we die it is not the same as when a normal human or even a Bender dies. Our spirit and our _Life Force _live on in the Spirit Realm and through the next Avatar in line. I still have enough of the Fire Spirit's touch to me that I will be able to take Sozin's place." His eyes turned hard and his mouth slanted into a stern line.

"You will feel the loss though. You will be weak and maybe even sickly for as long as a season. I am a part of you after all."

"I understand." Aang promised with a determined little smile that wasn't at all disheartened even when Roku cocked his head to the side and inspected Aang carefully.

"Do you really?" He asked. Aang nodded emphatically. Sure he would be weak and maybe even sickly but he would be alive to help the next Avatar when that time came and he would be alive to love Katara. After the war he could tell her how he felt—maybe even sooner than that—and after the war he could follow her wherever she wanted to go. He could take her on Appa to find her father or even back to the South Pole and he'd help her build a little igloo for the two of them if she wanted.

It was all perfect. Everything would be fine and that was what Roku wanted him to understand.

The world dimmed and faded and there was that same sense of falling until, with a grunt, Aang fell back into himself in the hazy air of the underground Airbender Temple. There was nothing to worry about. He and his friends would travel back to the North Pole and they would find out when the comet was coming and then they'd go to the Earth Kingdom and maybe Bumi would even let Aang rescue him this time. He could take Katara to Ba Sing Se—he'd only been there once but he knew she'd like it, there were even small rivers scattered throughout the kingdom and maybe he could get her to walk along one with him and they could eat the little sugar candies that some of the people made.

He smiled as he stood and worked the kinks out of his back and knees.

Maybe he could even tell her about the little igloo just for them.

* * *

**Anonymous -- **It would be Sheila if you're interested and I'm glad you like it as much as all that.

**Shard -- **I'm glad you liked the twist, there are a few more to come so hopefully they'll continue to be good :) and I have to say I giggled insanely at your review. I don't know if you meant it or no but I watch Robot Chicken and all I could think of is there is this one skit with M. Night Shamalan and he keeps going "What a TWIST!" So whether you knew that or no I got a huge kick out of it.


	23. The Promise of Bayleaf

**Well it's still technically on time, though a lot of the "late" nature of this has to do with the fact my internet has been a bit...wonky lately. So it's a blessing of sheer luck that I got this uploaded at all.**

**Anyway, still don't own anything and I think it may be a bad sign that I liked writing Azula so much as this. Sorry guys, tons more foreshadowing and only a teeny tiny bit in the way of plot. Naw you all are so patient with me. Probably too patient but I love you all anyway.**

* * *

She sat at the head of the long, lacquered table with Ty Lee on her right and Mai on her left. Soldiers of higher standing filled the rest of the seats, some looked battered and tired and others had either faired better in battle or found the time to lick their wounds before Azula had called them to her.

"Correct me if I am wrong." She started, her voice calm and even, a small smile turning up the corner of her mouth. "But our mission is to capture the Avatar and bring him to my Father?" Their relationship could hardly be considered one of father and daughter. The choice to call him thusly was as calculated as everything else in her life. It reminded everyone just who she was, it reminded them that she was next in line for the throne and while they feared Ozai she called him father. The men gathered were shamed and scared. They hung their heads and murmured affirmatives, all of them too scared to make a stand.

That was just the way she wanted it. Fear brought loyalty and respect faster than any other manner, and it was more trustworthy. So long as they feared her they would respect her.

"And we _knew _that the Avatar was unaware, unguarded and unprepared for an attack in that clearing?" She inquired again. The same noncommittal murmuring filled the room. "So tell me why we haven't the Avatar in our custody right now? Why we have instead piles of his and his companions' clothing and blankets and..." She sneered at the piles of camping supplies and chewed apples and even singed clumps of fur from the Avatar's flying bison and gliding rat.

For a long time no one said anything at all, not even the murmuring they had managed before. Mai sighed and sunk low in her seat, twirling a long thin knife through her fingers.

"Airbenders Princess." Someone managed, their voice small and strangled. Azula perked up and turned to face him, a smile that would have made even the most vicious crocodile-snake jealous.

"Airbenders?" Her voice was still light if anything, the dangerous smile seeping into her voice.

"Yes Princess." She could see him now, soot smudged across one cheek and a dent in his helmet. "Airbenders." She wondered what would have happened to him had he not been wearing his helmet when it gained that dent.

Her grin widened.

She certainly wouldn't need to be dealing with him now that was for certain.

"You mean to say the very Airbenders that are meant to be extinct due entirely to the efforts of _my _ancestors?" Her calm slipped on the word "my" and she ground it out, her nostrils flaring for just a moment before she caught herself and took another deep breath. It was far more intimidating for her to be calm, precise and perfect.

"Yes Princess." He hung his head and his chin nearly touched the breastplate of his armor.

"And so, after a battle we lost, _miserably, _all we have to show for our efforts," none of the people in the room made the mistake of thinking she included herself in the "we" she spoke of, "is their gear." Silent reigned in the room. Even Mai and Ty Lee looked dejected and downtrodden.

"Excellent." Her voice was as smooth as honey but it startled everyone in the room as though she had screeched like a banshee.

They might have preferred it if she had.

Ty Lee cocked her head to the side and inspected her friend. "Omashu has fallen. All that is left of a world without Fire Nation influence is the Norther Water Tribe. General Zhao was lost in his attempt on the capital because he forgot what was important. We will not forget. And now we have a way in...they will welcome us into their city with open arms and celebrate us as heroes before they too fall under my father's rule." Azula proclaimed ignoring Ty Lee and whatever the smiling girl had been about to say. She stood slowly and walking back and forth with her hands folded behind her back.

No one dared speak, no matter how many questions even the most loyal of them had. Azula's smile never wavered, nor did her inner calm. A plan was hatching and even if the idiots that surrounded her couldn't figure it out that did not vex her in the slightest. She preferred fools to follow her, fools could never outwit you.

She returned to her seat, taking it with the grace expected of a princess. A distant part of her mind still allowed to dream chirruped "empress". A fitting title for the woman who would rule the world soon enough. She took a deep breath and sent the cowering servant to fetch food for them as she began to outline her plan. The Northern Water Tribe would fall now, while she saw the weak-spot in its foundation. Once she had installed a governor to control one of the largest port cities and the only _real _Water Tribe stronghold left in the world, then she would deal with the other revelation that came about with the bungled attempt to capture the Avatar.

Her darling brother Zuzu seemed to have joined up with the Avatar and his idiotic little friends.

Him and their tea-loving coot of an uncle thought they would overthrow Ozai with the help of that childish brat of an Avatar. Her father had long since given up hope of gaining back the famed general—Azula had never understood what was so great about him anyway—and had since given her permission to do whatever she saw fit with them. The both of them.

That was something intriguing even with her recent efforts to capture the Avatar. She had never once, in all her life, cared for Zuko in the slightest. He was weak and there was no room for weakness in the Fire Nation royal family. He had no place in their world and_ still_ their mother insisted on doting on Zuko.

Azula didn't want her mother's attention; it was not jealousy that motivated her hate. She just didn't want a weakling like Zuko to be encouraged. If he was weak they should make him strong or get rid of him. Send him away to war and let him die with the other worthless people.

She had her father's attention and that was all that mattered, not love—that was a weakness. She had proof of that fact, Iroh had been about to capture Ba Sing Se and win the greatest battle of the war of their time. He would have been a hero, and he would have probably never lost his position as Fire Lord.

But no.

His precious son died and he came running home with his tail between his legs as though there were something he could do. He gave up eternal fame and glory for someone who was already long dead. Love, friendship, none of these things were of any use to a real fighter, and in turbulent times like these a leader had to be the strongest fighter of the bunch.

She was fairly certain that even though she hadn't yet managed to capture the Avatar should she present Ozai with the great Northern City that even Zhao had failed to capture he could forgive that. Or the fact that she could present him with proof undeniable that the Airbenders _hadn't _been wiped out.

She scoffed to herself. She supposed Sozin was _hardly _all he was reputed to be in the legends she'd heard since childhood if he hadn't even been able to fully destroy a race so weak and pathetic as the Airbenders. Of course Iroh used to preach that they needed that balance in the world, that even if the Fire Nation was to rule they needed the balance provided by the other three nations.

She'd always thought it was just him lacking in that ruthless nature a _real _general needed. Zhao had that touch, a killer's instincts. But he had lacked intelligence, she hadn't realized until she saw his fall just how much a general needed intelligence, as much as he needed to be deaf to the suffering of others. She had learned from Zhao's failure and she ensured from then on that those who surrounded her were as brilliant as they were bloodthirsty.

She wondered if Ozai would allow her to deal the killing blow to Zuko. Surely not the Avatar, that was his right as Lord, but he might allow her the pleasure of proving once and for all that she was the stronger, the better of the two children. She was younger and though Zuko had lost his Right to the throne she wanted to _prove _she would be the better leader. She wanted to eradicate all doubt from the minds of her subjects.

Slaughtering Zuko like their father should have in that Agni Kai duel so long ago would show once and for all what would happen to weakness under her rule. And then when Ozai died she could rule without anyone to contest her, whether they were worthy of the throne or no.

She paused in her thoughts. Well, Iroh would have to go as well, he would still have a claim on the throne, even if he was an idealistic and overemotional old fool who's only use lay in his ability to make a decent cup of tea.

And she had plenty of servants to make tea for her.

It wasn't as though she'd ever waste her time ruling some desolate frozen wasteland like the Northern Water Tribe. She'd instill a governor and now she could hunt Zuko and the Avatar at the same time. It made everything so much easier. She snorted softly to herself.

It made some amount of sense that Zuko had joined forces with the Avatar, he'd always listened so intently to everything that their uncle said and he tended to completely ignore the proper tutors that their father set to him. Uncle was always blathering on about ideals of peace and balance. It went to figure that he would manage to corrupt a weakling like Zuko eventually.

It made sense to her that Iroh would turn against his brother in such a passive aggressive way. Of course he had been angry about Ozai taking what was his rightful place on the throne, and the fool knew he couldn't _possibly _beat Ozai in an Agni Kai so _this _was clearly his grand scheme to get his throne back.

Not like he had an heir to turn things over to but judging by how things were going the tea-loving crazy might just turn things over to _Zuko _when things were said and done. She could hardly restrain a laugh at that. There was no way that Zuko would ever be capable of ruling properly. He was soft-hearted. Like Iroh, and like their mother.

Azula wondered then if anyone had ever told Zuko the proper story of just what had happened that night. She had teased him of course but to her knowledge not even his precious Iroh had explained everything to him.

Just like that pandering old man. Zuko was probably the only one who cared for the once great general; of course Iroh wouldn't be the one to tell him the whole story.

She shook her head to clear it of such useless thoughts. There was much planning to be done if they were going to take the Water Tribe citadel with just this ship and a handful of men. First and foremost they'd have to burn all the flags and try and resize the rags they managed to capture from the Avatar and his friends.

_His Water Tribe friends..._

* * *

**Shard -- **Hah, of course I enjoyed the review! Hopefully you'll like this installment 


	24. Praying for Snowdrops

**Hey all! Did you have a safe and happy 4th? I did, and holy crap did you know? There are fireworks that are like real Smiley faces. It is strange and cool all wrapped into one. I wish there were Fireworks more often. **

**For those of you waiting for the Zutara you get a bit of it--kind of--in this chapter, and where are my fellow Tokka supporters? Zutara is the primary coupling but the Tokka is coming up on us faster...So hopefully I'll get to meet some of you! **

**I know a lot of you were really hoping for Taang but...I just don't see it and you'll find out WHY as the story progresses...lord I am sounding a bit annoying, I'm just going to shut up and let you all enjoy this chapter for yourselves now, okay:) **

* * *

The people of the Underground City insisted on helping load Appa with the new supplies and far more food than the group really needed. However they were so many and the group was so few that their help became more them doing it and leaving the Avatar and his companions to relax. Sokka and Katara were smoking some meat and sharing Water Tribe recipes with some of the younger members of the city.

Toph sat with them, teasing Sokka for doing what he called "women's work" and talking about life in an Earth Kingdom city, she also seemed to be explaining how she could sense things with her Earthbending to an interested group of women.

Some of the people had never left this world of caverns.

Aang was playing with the children, showing them how to slide down Appa's tail so the great beast could flick them up into the air and land them in a pile of sweet-smelling hay.

Iroh and Zuko stood off to the side, watching in silence until—with a grin—Iroh began to talk. As usual with the two men of the Fire Nation Iroh spoke without care if Zuko listen. The choice to listen belonged to the prince, and it was his love for the old general that made him turn an ear to the old man—even if the younger clung to pretending he was ignoring his uncle.

"Have you happened to notice the fledgling relationship beginning in our little group?" Iroh would have called it "family" but while Katara and Sokka and Aang clung to notions of friendship and family, Zuko was hesitant to trust it. Toph had seen the difference between the family that was her relations and the family she had found among her friends, and Iroh had no doubt that Zuko would as well, it would take time though, just as it had taken time for Toph.

Zuko stiffened at Iroh's soft voice and looked away, he made a noncommittal sound and shrugged one shoulder. There were many meanings of the word "relationship" and just because the crazy old coot was smiling in that way he had did _not _mean that he meant a love match.

"You haven't noticed? I am surprised that I am the only one to see the way he stares at her and the great lengths he goes to to ensure she doesn't know he's staring." Iroh continued, oblivious to his nephew's discomfort. "It is obvious he cares for her, though I doubt if even he realizes it just yet." Iroh smiled and chuckled softly to himself. In the distance Sokka was wailing dramatically over a strip of over-smoked meat.

"You may be reading too much into it. Perhaps he is just not used to someone like her, maybe he is curious and hesitant and you just would like to see a romance to gossip about." Zuko ground out, his voice harsher than he might have cared to be. If Iroh found anything off about the unusually cruel tone he didn't say anything.

"No, no, he may not see how much he cares for her, but he does." Toph was pointing and laughing at Sokka while he and Momo fought over the piece of burned meat. Sokka may not want it but he did not want Momo to have it either. "Anyone with eyes could see it, if they were looking for it. But I do not think they expect it of him." Zuko found himself startled at how much that comment hurt. He had not wanted anyone to know of the strange feelings he held for the Waterbender—_Katara_--until he was certain of them himself.

He still did not think he agreed with Iroh's interpretation of the situation and he _certainly _did not think he spent a telling amount of time _staring _at the girl. However it was puzzeling since Iroh was usually kinder to him than anyone else in the world with his mother gone.

Why then would _no one _expect it. Zuko was too curious to be cautious.

"What do you mean? What is so surprising about it? She's powerful and she's proved herself in battle many times." Sokka was showing some of the young men to use proper Water Tribe weapons and Toph and Katara were walking off side-by-side into the town. Iroh wasn't certain but Feng might have been leading them or joining them in their walk.

"They are so different. Mind you, it is often the differences that make a couple but it still can be surprising to find there is more than annoyance or anger." It was Iroh's turn to shrug only one shoulder. "I almost didn't see it myself. But watching the way he doted on her, even though doting is the last thing she wants, it made it clear. Katara says that Sokka often finds girls he cares about, but I think this time it might be more serious than he is used to." Iroh explained. Zuko blinked and whirled on his uncle in surprise, blinking and trying to catch up.

"What? _Sokka?" _He asked, his voice stumbling over the other's name. Iroh might have been wrong but Zuko was certain that the old man had been talking about _him_. Not Sokka.

"Right." Iroh nodded, "Sokka." His grin turned wicked and Zuko felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Who were you speaking about if not Sokka and his feelings for Toph?"

Zuko gaped for a long moment, his jaw working uselessly as he tried to figure out just what Iroh was saying _and _something to respond with that would not alert the old man to Zuko's fears concerning his feelings for Katara of all people.

"What do you mean Sokka cares for Toph?" Zuko asked, trying to change the subject. "All they do is fight." Which was a kind way of saying that Toph was always tormenting Sokka and Sokka either missed the joke, or made it worse when he tried to defend himself. How could _that _ever be considered a love-match?

"I do not think anyone realizes it, but he does dote on her, in battle or in life he is always at her side, trying to help without helping. He knows she wants to do things on her own, but he doesn't know how to court a girl like her, and he has not yet realized that he cares for her as deeply as he does. The poor boy has probably fooled himself into thinking that he sees her as another sister." Iroh laughed, "We lie to ourselves more than we tell ourselves the truth. But I have seen that soft look before." Zuko listened to Iroh talk about when _he _was young and in love with only half his attention. More than anything he was glad that Iroh had not yet inquired as to whom Zuko had been speaking of it not Toph and Sokka.

For a long while they stood there watching the proceedings until at last Iroh trailed off in his story and eyed Zuko critically.

"And you never did answer my question, if not Toph and Sokka, who were you agreeing with me about?" Zuko did not face Iroh but he searched blindly for a moment and leapt upon the first possibility that came to mind.

"Aang and the—Katara." It was strange to call her by name but not unpleasant. "The way he fawns over her every move and every deed. And yet she seems absolutely oblivious to it." He could not help but snort and add, under his breath, "No wonder the way he approaches courting a woman." Iroh chortled aloud.

"Because you know so much about courting girls?" Iroh asked.

"They fawned when I was a prince and now they hardly want anything to do with me, it is no fault of my own." Zuko growled, he motioned needlessly to his scar.

"Oh don't be silly. That young woman liked you well enough. Until you stole from her that is." Iroh was probably more angry about the theft than anything else. Zuko felt the familiar flair of anger, he _knew _that it was wrong to steal, but they needed the Ostrich-Horse more than the girl did. She was not outrunning Azula.

However the argument was old and Zuko knew it might never be settled, he swallowed his anger and chose instead to press his original point.

"I may not know much but I know that Aang is acting like a child and _that _is no way to court anyone except for maybe another child. And the way Katara acts as mother to everyone she meets short of Fire Nation troops she is _hardly _a child." Zuko growled, it was hard to absolve Iroh completely of their old argument. Personally Zuko wished that they could just drop it in its entirety.

"It is true, but that is part of Aang's charm, he allows others to recapture childhoods that might have been lost due to war. Katara may very well like that about him." Zuko eyed Iroh and did not respond. So much time spent with the old man had not yet taught Zuko his tricks, but he could tell when Iroh was trying to trap him, or trick him. Zuko chose to remain silent rather than get caught in a trap he couldn't quite see.

Iroh smiled again to himself, as though Zuko's silence had given everything away anyway, but he didn't say anything and Zuko refused to speak at all.

* * *

"Have you noticed," Toph asked as she and Katara walked. They wanted to grab a few last minute supplies that the packing had made clear they were missing. "That your brother is acting even stranger than normal?" Katara snorted. 

"I don't know how you could possibly tell. He's always acted odd."

"Yeah but even for him. He's been all...quiet. And...and almost _normal _since we figured out that we had to go to the North Pole."

Katara halted in her tracks and sighed heavily.

"What is no one telling me?" Toph asked, her voice raising just a little and gaining the hard edge that Katara knew well went with Toph getting angry.

"We went to the North Pole once before." Katara said softly, looking down at her feet and starting to walk again if only to give herself something to do.

"I know. Before you came to the Earth Kingdom." Toph prompted.

"Right. Well, we were there for quiet a while. Almost a season, though you couldn't hardly tell. That's the thing with the Poles, the weather doesn't much change between seasons." Katara babbled, her hands were shaking and her heart was tapping out a stuttering beat against her ribs. Toph wondered at just what had happened in the North Pole.

"Katara," Toph said, and she was probably more startled than anyone at how gentle her voice sounded to her own ears. "You're rambling."

"I know." Katara sighed, stopped again and leaned against a building. "Yue was the princess. She was the daughter of the chiefton of the Tribe. She was promised to someone else already, but that didn't mean that she loved him. And in the course of spending time together, she and Sokka started to like each other." Toph felt her blood run cold. From what Katara _wasn't _saying Toph could guess that they had fallen in love, or come close to it. "Zhao, he was this general for the Fire Nation, he killed the Moon Spirit with the intention of forever wiping out the Waterbenders. Yue, when she was young, had been touched by the Moon Spirit, and she was able to give life back to the spirit, by giving hers." Katara folded her arms across her chest and refused to even look at Toph.

"She died to save everyone?" She asked.

"She died in Sokka's arms." Katara added. "He started to get better eventually, he's Sokka and he does always bounce back, but...but I think going back to the city is bringing back memories and I think he's just worried about that. About having to face things he still hasn't completely let go of just yet." Katara explained. For all the fighting she and Sokka did, they understood each other, or she liked to think that they did. She was worried about him and even if that _wasn't _what was wrong with him, it worried her.

It worried her almost more that Toph seemed to care, at least a little, for Sokka and it was hard enough for someone like Toph to learn to care for someone like that, the last thing she needed was to fight the perfection of a memory.

"Toph..." Katara started, reaching out to the smaller girl. Toph shrugged off the gentle touch and stomped off.

"It's nothing, what why would I care about some dead princess?" She shouted over her shoulder. Katara sighed, defeated and shook her head. She walked slowly back the way she had come and tried to think of what she could say to fix everything.

She didn't know how to make Sokka stop mourning when she herself hadn't been able to stop mourning their mother yet, and she didn't know how to make Sokka move on when a art of her still missed Jet for as cruel and vicious as he had been. She had cared for him and she feared a part of her might always.

She didn't even know how to ask Toph if she really did care about Sokka or if she was just being Toph. She spied Iroh leaning over the wears of a silk merchant and remembered a time when she could go to her mother for advice. She had faith that even if Iroh didn't have the answers, talking to him might at least clear her mind and ease her worries just a bit.

And he might have an idea of what to do. He always seemed to know just what to do with Zuko and nothing could be much more difficult than dealing with him.

"Katara!" Iroh was always so irrepressibly cheery and even given her mood Katara found herself matching his smile with ease. But her mind was reeling now with thoughts of Zuko and Toph and Sokka and even Yue and though he didn't even ask her directly she was suddenly spilling the entire story to him, how she thought Toph might be harboring a crush on Sokka and Sokka still had feelings for Yue so what was going to happen to the two of them when they went to the place where Yue died? And in the end even her worries about Zuko came tumbling out of her mouth as Iroh took her back toward the stables where Appa was.

Iroh listened with a friendly ear and a soft and serious face and when at last Katara had no more worries to spill he put a compassionate arm around her shoulders and hugged her like her father had once or twice in her childhood.

"Your worries about Sokka and Toph are probably well-founded, but if there is one thing I have learned in my life—and it has been a very long life--" he joked, "I have learned this, you can care for people and worry for them, but it will do little good. You need to let them live their lives and work things out for themselves. Sokka will eventually let go of Yue but he has to on his own, and if he and Toph could have something, they need to make it work themselves because you will not always be there anyway. As for my nephew...you must be patient with him. He is not used to true compassion and family and it will take him time to loose his suspicions." Iroh explained.

"But sometimes it seems like he's opening up, and then suddenly he's crueler than before and it feels like we'll never breach the gap between us." She paused, and then seemed to suddenly realize what she said. "I mean between him and the group of us, all of us." She corrected quickly. Iroh narrowed his eyes for a moment and seemed to inspect her a long time before he spoke again.

"Just be patient is all I can tell you. It doesn't get much easier, but maybe with more people to trust he will come to realize that some people help without agenda, without expecting anything in return. You have seen Azula. She takes after his father." Iroh admitted softly.

"And his mother?"

"She was the kindest, most compassionate woman I think the Fire Nation ever bred, but she always wished most of all to see her children get along, and I think Zuko blamed himself when nothing---"

"She wanted them to get along because she loved them both, and Zuko felt like he wasn't doing something he should when Azula did not have it in her heart to love." Katara filled in, she knew that Sokka felt like he had failed their father the day their mother was killed even though he was only ten. She had only been eight and she felt the same way. After all, she was the grand Waterbender of the tribe, and all she could do was cry and cling to Sokka and watch the snow turn red and the sky turn black.

* * *

**Shard** -- I am glad you liked Azula, I was a bit worried but clearly there was no need for that! I am glad you think I characterized her well and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! 


	25. Orange Dawn

**You know, really I have nothing to say about this chapter, beyond the fact that it is being posted now--early--because I finally got my new desk, but everything needs to get unplugged so I can set it up and I wanted to be absolutely certain that you got your chapter on time! Hopefully you'll enjoy it.**

**I might have more to say in upcoming chapters. (Hint hint) :)  
**

**  
**

* * *

Even as crowded as it was in Appa's saddle the rides were not terribly strained. For the most part two people could sit on Appa's head and the gear got tied up in the far back, which left only four people in the actual saddle and that wasn't too bad. It only started to really get on people's nerves when they had to fly for more than a day at a time. However as they lifted off and left the reclusive city of Airbenders behind the trip was quieter and far more tense than usual.

Katara and Aang sat on Appa's head with their shoulders only just brushing. Aang did not take his eyes off the scenery ahead except to glance surreptitiously at Katara on occasion. Katara was going to put a kink in her neck the way she kept glancing back at the rest of the group, a false smile on her face in a vague attempt at dispelling whatever dark cloud had settled over the whole of the group.

Toph was—strangely enough—sitting as far from Sokka as she could. Normally she sat beside him and the two seemed to have some sort of unspoken agreement about flights. When the ride got rough she could grab him and he would grip the saddle and the both of them would be able to hold their place. Now, she sat beside Iroh, her face dark and her eyes—blind but expressive all the same—were hidden behind thick bangs.

Zuko was certain that if she had a brim on her hat she would have pulled it down low and tried to feign sleep, not that anyone was making any attempt at conversation. Iroh was leaned back, stretching out his legs and dozing in the warm air, Summer was in full swing now if it was this warm and the sun was still red and gold with dawn. Although Zuko would bet good money that the old General was wide awake and ready should anything happen.

Zuko himself had somehow come to be sitting beside Sokka instead of Toph. That might be the cause of at least some of the gloom settled over them. They were sitting side-by-side but all the same they were trying to face in opposite directions, their arms folded across their chest and the occasional dark look shot over a shoulder.

Momo had taken refuge in Katara's lap when the trip started and she was petting his back absently, although Zuko was certain that if she wasn't a little more careful she would make the little rat go bald. Zuko sighed heavily and decided that Katara was right. To make trust work—he was not certain he could ever accept a proper friendship—he had to work just as hard as they did. Regret was heavy in his heart before he even spoke, but it was the right thing, for once he was certain of _that _and there was something calming about that fact.

"How long will it take to get to the North Pole?" He asked, and then to be certain it was not interpreted as a complaint, "I have only ever sailed there. Will it be faster by Bison?" He cast his eyes to Katara and caught the small and thankful smile on her face, surprised when he noticed that her nose crinkled just a little bit when she smiled like that.

"Quiet a bit." She offered back, trying to raise her voice just a little bit and hoping that the others might just pick up on the conversation. "We might be able to get there in just two or three days if we don't stop and the wind is on our side." Aang agreed with a smile and an exuberant nod. Zuko wasn't certain if it was because the young boy actually agreed with the Waterbender or if it was just that it was her who had spoken.

"I imagine it will be a treat to be welcomed in rather than risking your life to sneak in." Iroh piped up gently, not opening his eyes and only cocking half a grin. Zuko didn't laugh or smile—he did not dare encourage the old man—but Katara perked up.

"How did you get in the last time? I've always wondered about that." She asked, and Zuko met her eyes, searching them for a long moment. She was genuinely curious, even if it was an attempt to get the rest of the group talking again.

He swallowed a harsh retort and sighed before he swallowed and grunted a response.

"I swam up from underneath and melted a way through."

"Weren't you _freezing?_" Aang asked, letting Appa lead for a moment while he turned in his seat. They drifted slightly to the left but did not alter course.

"You've learned how it is possible to control your body temperature Aang." Iroh chided softly. Aang was satisfied but Katara was still staring.

"I survived." He growled, not liking the way she was beginning to mother him like she did to the others.

"It is impressive though Zuko. I've lived in the South Pole my whole life and I would never have dared to swim in the water, even if I could warm myself up." She told him. She did not tell him about the fishermen who had died when their boats were upturned. Eventually their bodies would be found, twisted and frozen, barely recognizable by even their closest family members, their skin purpled and dark and their faces frozen in a look of terror.

"Who would want to get in _that _badly?" Toph asked, a sneer twisting her features. "It's just a bunch ice. Don't even know why you would _want _to live there." She growled. A silence dropped over them and for a long time no one seemed to want to speak.

"Better than living life surrounded by dirt and swamps. _Oh. Right! _You never saw any of that because _you _were locked behind a wall. Of course _everyone _should aspire for _that _sort of home." Sokka snapped, taking the bait. But even having been with the group only a short time Zuko could see there was more to this fight. This was _not _like their normal fights that ended with laughs and a pouting Sokka. This was something Zuko knew far better, a fight to hurt. They were using the weaknesses they knew the other had and _trying _to draw blood first.

Fighting like he and Azula did growing up.

"And I couldn't wait to get away! If you miss your stupid home on your stupid iceberg so much go back!" Toph shouted, pitching forward in her seat. Zuko didn't realize he had looked away until Katara's worried blue eyes were filling his vision.

He was certain there might have been a time once that she would join her brother in the fight, he could see it in her eyes that she was hurt by the harsh words about her home. But he could see her resisting. She looked as though she knew something even the two fighters didn't know. Beside her Aang was just as worried, but he lacked that spark of something more.

Kartara realized this fight was not _just _two stubborn people annoyed and crowded, just like she knew that it was not some spur of the moment decision that had Toph beside Iroh instead of by Sokka. Zuko wondered if she knew how to make them stop, because he knew that were it he and Azula, even if they lacked bending they would find ways to turn the hurt physical when they ran out of cruel things to shout.

"What is your problem? I thought you wanted people to stop shielding you from the world? Was that just a lie because it seems like you hate wherever we go. Why not just go back to your parents and your guards and walls?" Sokka railed, leaning forward as well.

Zuko shifted in his seat, nothing obvious, but enough that he could wedge between the two if it came to that. As far as he understood Toph could only see when she could Earthbend and there was so little earth in the air. Sokka he could handle and she would never admit it but Toph could put up no fight at all like this.

"I didn't want to help you! I said that the first time you asked, but you just kept pushing and pushing and _then!" _She paused to take a deep breath and fairly growled when she spoke next. "And then you showed up at my home and started talking to my parents about my help like I was a thing with _no _care to the fact that _of course _they would never let me fight! You are just as bad as they are! The only difference is you don't see me as weak and useless, you see me as having only _one _use. Being the Avatar's teacher!"

"Aang, maybe we need to land and take a break." Katara whispered with a soft touch to the Avatar's shoulder. Aang looked worried and doubtful but he landed Appa with ease in the nearest clear spot. It ended up being a long stretch of beach enclosed on two sides by rough cliffs that jutted out of the sand violently and thick forest butted up against the back of the beach.

Appa sunk heavily into the sand and Toph was leaping off the instant she felt the jolt of his landing. She landed hard and stormed off into the forest, probably already knowing the way better than any of the others. Aang was off only a heartbeat behind Toph and he started off after her. Katara stopped him with a soft word. "Let me go talk to her okay? Sokka needs a sympathetic ear, not a sister." She told him, not waiting for him to agree before she shot off after the young Earthbender.

Zuko helped Iroh off even if he didn't need the help.

"You were doing very well." Iroh told him with a little smile. Zuko nodded abscently and watched Sokka and Aang in the distance, they were not far, but far enough that he couldn't make out what they were saying but for the odd shout, usually from Sokka.

He took a deep breath and clenched his fists and then finally could not wait and calm himself any longer. With smoke curling out of his nostrils he stormed over to where the two boys were arguing, he didn't realize how much he looked like Iroh in his younger days of military campaigns and fighting. He grabbed Sokka's shoulder hard enough to make the other boy shout in surprise and pushed him to the ground.

"Enough." He growled, startling everyone left on the beach into silence. "Stop acting like a child." He wasn't shouting, his voice was pitched low and calm and other than the thin trickle of smoke there was no outward sign of just how furious he was. Which was odd for the young prince and part of what left everyone so silent. "I don't know what her problem is but yours is that you are an idiot. She's mad about something there is no need to rise to her challenge." Zuko explained, staring down at Sokka who was sprawled out on the white sand and ignoring Aang who looked torn between being grateful for the help and worried that Zuko was about to finally snap like the four of them had been so sure he would in the beginning.

"You claim to be a great warrior? Control your temper." Zuko hissed after a moment of fearful silence. Sokka snorted.

"You're one to talk about controlling your temper." Aang stumbled back a step after Sokka spoke, as though fearing the worst reaction from the ex-prince.

"At least I only fight those who can defend themselves." Zuko hissed, bending at the waist and coming nose to nose with the Water Tribe warrior. No one, not even Iroh, knew what to say, nor did they fully comprehend the meaning of what Zuko had said.

Realization dawned on Sokka slowly and you could see it slide over his face like the light of a sunrise sliding over the horizon. Zuko straighted and held out his hand, a sort of peace offering that required Sokka to admit his mistake at the same time. A whole host of things passed unspoken between the two young men in the instant Sokka took the offered hand.

He dusted himself off to no avail, he was still covered in the snow-colored sand.

Zuko didn't wait around a moment more, he walked off, his steps unsure in the shifting sand but less furious than a few moments ago. "Zuko." Iroh caught his sleeve as the boy passed, and though Zuko did not actively acknowledge the old man they both knew he was listening. "I am proud of you."

Iroh had a habit of doting on Zuko even when the young prince was in the foulest of moods, but he did not give compliments without merit, and even with it he did not give them lightly. Zuko smiled, a true, honest and full smile.


	26. Algiz

**If anyone can tell me (without cheating!) what other Avatar Character (actually in the show) was called Jee you get something. I don't know what, I still can't figure out what the Geek!points are for.**

**Anyway, I love you all to death, we get to see a little more into Toph and Katara this time around (Gotta love that introspective thing I just _never _do. Whee for sarcasm.)**

* * *

If Toph didn't _want _to be found when she stormed off, there would be no way to find her. Katara knew that well, but she wanted—at the very least—for Toph to _know _that someone was looking for her.

As it turned out Toph was either too emotional to focus her attention on bending—Katara hoped not—or she simply didn't care if Katara found her. Once the beach vanished from sight and she could no longer hear even the waves against the shore or Sokka's shouting, the forest parted upon a small clearing.

Toph sat in the center on a solid rock stump raised viciously from the ground with dirt and bits of grass thrown everywhere. Her legs and arms were crossed and her dark scowl was cast at the ground. Katara walked up slowly, suddenly unsure why she had gone after Toph and very sure that she couldn't handle this any better than Zuko could have.

She should have asked Iroh to go.

But it was too late to send Iroh and so with a heavy sigh and a vague attempt at fortifying her courage she took a seat in front of Toph on the ground.

"Here to tell me to go back and apologize Sweetness?" Toph growled, not bothering to look up. Katara was silent for a long moment and when she spoke she tried to sound like her mother used to when Sokka and Katara fought.

She remembered their worst fight well. One of the men—injured and stuck back with the women and children during the hunt—had taken pity on a bored Katara—she had never gotten along well with the girls her age even when she talked about boys and plaited the other girls' hair. At first she would just sit with him and listen to stories about her parents as young lovers. She knew all the stories from her parents perspective by heart and it was even better to hear another side of things. The side her parents probably didn't want her to hear—like how her father used to pull her mother's hair when they were very small.

Then, when she showed an interest, he taught her how to mend the nets they used for fishing.

One day she returned home—early for dinner with her hands already washed—with a little knife the man gave her. It was the sort of knife that a father passed to his son when the boy was old enough to start learning to use it. Jee hadn't ever married and so the little knife passed to Katara without a fight.

Sokka had seen it before their mother did and started shouting, insisting that no only could a girl _not _use a knife properly no matter _who _trained her, but that she was disgracing their village and their ancestors just by holding it with her _stupid girl hands._ He'd snatched it away and tucked it in his own belt, insisting he could do it justice and _no one would mind_.

She had begun to scream first, then to cry, and then she lunged at him, and the whole of their little home made of ice had moved with her, nearly toppling with the family still inside. Sokka had shouted at her, _look what you've done now._ Which was so like the other children. Even though her mother and father and most of the other adults assured the little girl that the children were simply jealous that they could not bend, the words hurt. And they hurt more coming out of the mouth of her brother.

She had let go of his shirt—she didn't recall grabbing it—and run away. She was too scared to go too far, but she hid in the village storage hole and cried into her fists, certain that not only would she never get her little knife back but that her family didn't _really _want her around because, after all, she was so much more trouble that she was worth.

Not only had her mother consoled her, convinced her to forgive Sokka, and come home, but she had done it all without informing Katara that she would in fact get the little knife back. Katara still had it, though it was far too small to be of any use to her now that she was grown. She used it when she was sewing though and thought of Jee but not the fight with Sokka.

Katara now tried to recall just how her mother had soothed her and smiled up at Toph, wondering if the girl could see the smile or not.

"You don't have to come back if you don't want to." Katara said softly.

Toph stiffened but didn't look up. Even though she couldn't see normally she often acted as though she did. She would look at whomever was talking and even point at things. Sometimes they all forgot that she was really blind at all.

"What? No big lecture about how we're a family and I shouldn't break up the group?" Katara watched Toph's nose wrinkle with the sneer, and she might have been fooling herself but she was certain she heard a tremor of fear in Toph's voice; a tiny waver of uncertainty. Katara remembered that sound well from when she made it. Her mother wasn't going to force her back? That small doubt, fear that maybe she _wasn't _wanted and they _could _do without her.

"Part of being a family is caring for each other no matter what. We would miss you very much, but Toph, if you aren't happy with us we won't force you to stay." She didn't dare wait more than half a heartbeat. "I really hope you don't leave and if there's something _I _can do to make things better I will do whatever I can." Katara assured the younger bender.

"You'd just let me leave if I wanted to?" Toph asked, looking up finally and staring with sightless eyes.

"We love you Toph. Wherever you would be happiest we want you to be." Katara assured her. "Sokka's sorry." She laughed. "Well, he's always _sorry_ but he's ready and willing to apologize for the fight." She watched Toph carefully and took a deep breath before plunging onward. "I don't think the fight was entirely Sokka going too far though..." She murmured gently. Toph snarled and looked away. Katara knew she'd hit a nerve and it took all of her courage to speak again. She really _didn't _want Toph to leave and not just because she was Aang's teacher.

In the time they'd spent together Katara really had come to care for Toph like the sister she had always wanted so badly. She hoped that she knew Toph as well as she assumed and that she really would fix things rather than drive Toph away for good.

"Look I'm not saying I can help, but I'll listen. Sometimes it helps to share the burdens we carry."

"Oh _thanks _sweetness. That's great. _Talk. _That'll solve everything." Toph barked suddenly, standing up and storming off. The earth writhed around her feet, churning as she walked past—to angry to bend properly but so full of power that it had to come out somehow.

"It is possible that it won't solve anything, but Toph I will listen if you want to talk." Katara said, trying to keep her voice low and soothing. Trying desperately not to get angry, shout and undo all the hard work it had taken to get to this point.

Toph stopped where she stood, her hands balled into fists so tightly they shook at her sides. "Not taking your brother's side in all this?" Toph asked, her back and shoulders beginning to tremble as well with her barely restrained anger.

"I think that this isn't about an argument and until I know what's going on I'm not taking a side." She hoped that it sounded more certain than she felt.

"I just hate watching him moping around and being so depressed all the time. The closer we get to the pole the worse it gets. I don't understand why you or at least Sparky doesn't do something about it. He's just feeling sorry for himself and I hate just accepting it because some girl he knew died. We've all known people who died in this war. Whole _towns _have died in this war and he acts as though he's the only one who's ever lost someone!" Toph shouted, pacing around as she spoke and becoming more and more agitated with each word.

"Toph, it's more than that, he's not feeling sorry for himself, he's mourning in the only way he knows how." Katara said, turning to watch Toph but not moving even to stand. She decided that bravery had served her well to this point and it would serve her well again. "And he doesn't understand what it's like to care for someone who doesn't see you." Katara murmured. Toph was instantly on edge and Katara was quick to cover herself. "I know what that's like all too well." She admitted. She meant the boys in the Water Tribe. No matter what she said or did now they would always look at her as something strange and unobtainable. She was not wife-material because she knew how to fight. She was more man in their eyes than woman.

She was grateful to fight and to be treated as an equal, but a part of her mourned. Feeling like she had lost her chance at the powerful bender and great romance that Aunt Wu had promised. Sokka would only tease her for putting any faith at all in the old woman's predictions but she held that one close to her heart. What girl didn't want a romance fit for a legend? They might settle for something more mundane, but given the chance would they not want a love for the ages?

However, once the words spilled out of her mouth, she could not stop the torrent that followed, and she looked to her hands, hearing all this for the first time it seemed, even if it was from her own mouth. " I can't even tell if he can stand me in the slightest. You weren't here for it, but there was this _Freedom Fighter_ named Jet. I thought I knew him. I _thought _he was a good person, and I was so sure that helping him was the right thing. As sure as I had been when I knew that I had to help Aang even I became an outcast for it." She forgot that Toph didn't know about that. Didn't know how close Katara came to losing the only family she had left, Sokka included. Toph didn't stop to ask questions—though she was filled with them—but she would remember later. "We found out that he was as bad as the Fire Nation," Katara stumbled over her words and corrected herself. She was too far gone to stop no matter how much she wanted to. "Soldiers. As bad as the soldiers who came and raided our tribe that day."

She blinked hard, merely to cast out the images of red snow and black air that always came to mind. She was startled to feel tears catch in her eyelashes.

"We stopped him, and with Sokka's help even managed to save the innocents Jet wanted to destroy." Katara tried to smile and found herself unable. "Now I don't know if I _should _trust again. What if I haven't really learned any lessons at all, not grown up a bit? What if this choice is as bad as that one was."

_What if Zuko betrays me too? What if this time people do suffer for my choice._

Toph hadn't realized until she listed to Katara talk that they all carried burdens. She had been so eager to prove herself, prove that she _could too _function like a normal person and she could see better than anyone else—in fact—she had learned quickly that it was just as damaging to carry too much weight on your shoulders. Aang was a child, no older than her—not really—but the whole world depended on him, and the whole of the Fire Nation probably wanted him dead. Zuko...he was constantly torn between Family, Country, and the Honor that demanded he do what he knew to be right while still keeping true to the other two as well. Sokka—bile rose in her throat—had fallen in love only to have her leave him for something so much greater. Her happiness and the safety of the world aside, at the end of the day he couldn't see her again. Not really. Katara too seemed to carry too much weight on her shoulders.

Sweet and irrepressibly sunny she might be but there was darkness and doubt there too.

Toph walked over and sat beside Katara. Neither of them spoke but Toph began to breath evenly and at long last, so did Katara.

"I'm hungry." Toph said, trying to fill her voice with the cheer that belonged to Katara.

"Well no doubt the boys would starve to death before cooking. D'ya think we should go an make certain they've not fallen to cannibalism yet?" Katara asked, and though the smile was fake she_ was _trying, and Toph couldn't see the difference.

The two were vastly different people but they both had a strong side and a frail side. Their strength came from knowing when to repress the frailty in them and when to release it. That did not mean they wanted to wallow in their sorrow. There was still a whole world depending on their shared student and that was more important than aching hearts and silly, childish dreams.

"I like to think Iroh would prevent them from killing each other, but I really don't know."

"Sokka and Zuko would probably team up against Momo first and at least they'd have a warm meal if they could bother to share." Toph snorted with a half smile. Neither of them acknowledged that she had called him "Sokka" rather than "Snoozles". It wasn't important and it would stay between them; like everything else in the tiny clearing.

* * *

**Shard -- **I'm glad you liked the development, clearly I'm addicted to it so it's nice to know I'm not boring people to death with it. :) 


	27. Forget Me Not

**Yes yes, I think quite a few of you got the notification for this chapter twice. I'm still unused to this new thing of Fanfiction's where they keep your documents for 60 days and I uploaded the last chapter again so yeah...Sorry for that.**

**Okay! Two bits of news I would love if you didn't skip.**

**Over on my livejournal (found under the "Homepage" link on my profile here) I am participating in Blogathon to raise money for Book Aid, a charity that tries to eliminate illiteracy in third world countries. There is all the information you need in my latest entry on the blog if you want to support me (you pledge money either in a lump sum or for every hour I manage to stay up Blogging) or participate yourself or watch. It's all happening on the 28th, which is Saturday AND if a bunch of you Avatar readers come, since I need something to blog about anyway, I will be more than happy to post MY reasons for picking the chapter titles.**

**It'll be fun to watch me get less and less coherent as the night goes on as part of the work is that I have to stay awake for the whole thing while YOU all can just read it any old time.**

**OTHER NEWS:**

**Alphabeticalescape and Cloggie guessed it! Jee was the leuitenant on Zuko's ship in the first season. YAY!**

* * *

Things were strained and silent at first when Toph and Katara walked slowly back onto the beach. There was a tense moment and finally Sokka apologized awkwardly while Toph offered a half-hearted grunt that she accepted it.

They settled in and had dinner—Fish that Iroh managed to catch and stew with tubers that Toph found for Aang—and went to sleep early. A full night of sleep would be rare, with Appa overloaded carrying so many people and all the supplies they needed it would be far easier for the Fire Nation to track and possibly catch them. Even Aang could figure that much out and he did not seem to have much of a head for strategy, he was more fit for action.

They took respite when and where they could.

Day and night they pressed Appa as hard as Aang dared and even then, sometimes harder.

They weren't far enough North for the oceans to be frigid and so when they could not find land they let Appa float, it was not much rest but it was as much as they dared some nights. Two would always stay awake playing watchman.

Even without Toph and Sokka's fighting thrown in the mix the relationships among the group were strained.

Aang was as worried for Appa as he was anxious to know when the comet would come. He alternated between pushing the beast far too hard and not pushing the beast hard enough, Iroh and Katara would offer soft words of advice that rarely seemed to do any good while Toph would make sarcastic comments that only put him on edge and seemed to make things worse.

Toph herself was far removed from her element for a vast majority of the time. Even the compassionate Iroh didn't quite understand the longing that a Bender felt when they had nothing to bend, but Katara did and the two girls leaned against each other as much as they could, Katara offering support as much as she could.

She strained herself to support everyone. She tried to calm Aang while urging him on at the same time, she offered a shoulder to Toph and a friendly ear.

What amazed Zuko the most, however, was the way she stopped fights before they became anything. Someone would say something, someone else would bristle and take offense and suddenly Katara was laughing, bending a cloud into an odd shape, trying to make them giggle or telling everyone about how she just remembered when they were small and Sokka once got caught in a fishing net and had to be cut out.

In those long days of travel she shared stories of Sokka as a young child, or stories of things the group saw and did before Toph came. Iroh often told about the dread Music Night from back when he and Zuko still had a ship and a crew and Zuko had hopes of returning home as the favored son.

Katara reminded him—often--of his mother, or at least of his mother when she tried to stop the fights between he and Azula.

That calm exterior covering a mix of anger, frustration and disappointment._ Why couldn't they get along? Was it _so_ much to ask? _He wondered if his mother had that same look in _her _eyes. Katara was kind and soft when she broke up the fights, making it seem as though there had never even been the desire to fight in the first place. Still, her back would be straight and her eyes hard, watching everyone closely and ready to change her tactic in a second if it didn't work.

He did not doubt that should a fight ever break out she would throw herself in the middle without a thought.

They were four nights out of the Airbender city when a storm hit. More appropriately, they flew into the storm.

Aang got suddenly quiet and dark from his position at Appa's head and Sokka slid closer to Toph, not touching but ready should something happen. Katara pointed out a small island—little more than rocks jutting out of the ocean like crooked teeth. "Toph will be grateful to be back on land and she can easily make us a shelter."

The air was still and heavy with rain, the thunder a distant growl on the horizon but her voice was soft and warm and Aang nodded once and mere moments after they landed Toph was balanced precariously on the rocks like she was right at home. She looked happy even when the rain started and easily twisted the landscape to suit their needs. She flattened the rocks and even made a cave large enough to cover Appa and allow for a fair amount of space between sleepers.

They hadn't any wood and only a handful of kindling but Iroh showed Aang how to heat rather than make flame and soon even Appa was fully dry and the little cave was warm enough to be comfortable.

Sleep came easily to the exhausted travelers. True they did not have to walk or keep a boiler stoked, but when the wind caught Appa just right he could be sent swooping and a sleeper would be thrown. Aang slept curled against Appa's side and Iroh was stretched out and snoring within moments. Toph was stretched out against the ground as though already mourning the loss of it when they returned to the air. Katara was curled up under a thick blanket made out of some soft fur and matched by the one her brother slept under.

Zuko slept near the entrance to the cave, only far enough in to avoid being rained on, and he dreamed.

The dream doesn't change often. Sometimes it is longer, sometimes shorter but it tends to follow his memories closely.

_Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. Remember this Zuko: no matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are._

Sometimes he follows his mother when she leaves his room. As a child he was scared, confused and tired. He curled onto his side and tucked his head under the covers, trying to decipher why she would awaken him just to tell him _that_. It didn't even make _sense._

Tonight he followed her. He threw off his covers and bare feet touched against heated stone as he ran after her as fast as his childish legs could carry him. He ran until his face was slick with sweat and his chest burned for air. He stopped finally, bent in half with his hands on his knees and panting desperately.

Iroh stood before him when he straightened, his hair only starting to grey, just as it was when Ursa vanished.

"Where is she?" Zuko would shout, tears burning at his eyes. Iroh's face was as hard as stone—sometimes the dream would take a fantastic turn and Iroh would be a statue—and he did not face Zuko when he spoke. He always said the same thing, just what he said when Zuko _had _gotten up the courage to ask in real life. When Zuko realized his mother wasn't there to comfort and protect him any longer. _"Where is she! I demand you tell me!" _Zuko shouted uselessly. In life Iroh had knelt beside the young prince and hugged him tightly, letting the boy rage uselessly.

In his private nightmares Iroh's words would echo around him.

_Your mother is gone Prince Zuko._

Again and again the words would play and Zuko would snap awake, disoriented and with a heart ready to beat its way out of his chest.

On those nights when he dreamed Zuko had no hopes of returning to sleep, he knew too well after so long that the dream would only return and there was no rest to be had.

He could not pace, there was room in the cave true, but not enough that he could walk far without stepping on someone and alerting them to his sleeplessness and so, his weakness.

He sat at the mouth of the cave with his legs folded beneath him and his breathing as steady as he could manage it. He heard someone shift behind him and until Sokka came and dropped beside him Zuko attributed it to someone shifting in their sleep.

"Bad dreams?" Sokka asked, his voice softer and more serious than Zuko would have thought possible. Zuko refused to answer but he turned his head enough that he could eye the Waterbending Boy.

Sokka waited a long moment for Zuko's answer and when it never came him sighed and shrugged. "I dreamt about Yue. Do you remember her?" Sokka asked, not looking at Zuko and instead watching the rain as though it would be able to stop his nightmares for him. Zuko sighed heavily and thought for a long moment. He remembered when he found the oasis in the center of the North Pole, Katara had been there—and been a Master—and Aang was in the Spirit Realm and helpless, which had been all he noticed at the time.

Now he could recall a young girl with the dusky skin of the Tribe and hair the color of snow. She had dressed like royalty and stood off to the side, useless, when the fighting started.

He thought Katara might have called her Yue.

"She had been touched by the Moon Spirit." Sokka continued, and Zuko wasn't certain if he cared or not that the other man wasn't listening and maybe Sokka just needed to talk when there was someone to hear. He did know of whom he spoke though. Their journey on the small raft had been long and difficult and Iroh had told stories until he started to repeat himself, including the story of when Zhao killed the Moon Spirit and a brave young princess from the tribe had given her life to save it.

"I loved her." He admitted after a long silence. Zuko didn't know what to say, and remained silent, but he stared now, watching the young warrior and wondering if he was that desperate for someone to talk to or if this was that strange and unknown thing: _Friendship. _

"You feel as though you failed her." Zuko hazarded. He knew the look in Sokka's eyes; he saw it in his own often enough. "You've run over losing her so many times you know it by heart and you're certain that if you could only go back and do it all again you could save her and she'd still be here today." Zuko whispered, his voice pitched lower now, Toph shifted in her sleep and settled down again before Sokka spoke.

"Who'd you lose?" He asked softly. For a moment there was only the sound of rain and Zuko closed his eyes. _You have to trust to be trusted. You have to trust to be trusted._ He reminded himself. If he was to help the Avatar he had to be friends with the Avatar's friends.

"My mother." He swallowed hard. "I was ten." He added. Had it really been so long? Almost seven years since he had seen her face outside of nightmares and memories...it felt like a lifetime sometimes, true, but other times it seemed like months if anything.

"How did she die?" Sokka asked, and Zuko could not deny the information. Sokka had explained Yue's death and Zuko owed him that much.

"I don't know." He admitted painfully. The story came out slowly, _haltingly_ and he often stopped and considered the benefits of not continuing. But slowly he managed everything, even his failure in front of Azulon and Azula's perfection.

He had never believed Iroh when the old man insisted that talking things out could make it better, but surprisingly it did help. Dredging up the memories left his emotions raw and he wanted to storm off, but it did help.

"Iroh wouldn't even tell you?" Sokka expressed the same surprise that Zuko always felt, and there was even a hint of disbelief. It had hurt so much at the time. Looking back, Zuko was certain it was the only reason Iroh had allowed him into the War Room that day.

"No one would. Azula would tease," He swallowed again, "That she was _gone. _But I don't think she knew, or she would have rubbed my face in that as well." He found himself, strangely, wondering if she had learned, or if Iroh would tell him the story _now. _Now that he was helping the Avatar in his mission to destroy Ozai and all that had been created.

"I'm sorry. I lost my mother too."

"I know." Zuko said without thinking and Sokka looked at him, startled. "Katara told me part of the story, a while ago." He managed a grin, or at least half of one. "I think she was trying to get me to trust her." He admitted, and Sokka managed a sardonic laugh that didn't suit him.

"Is it wrong that I regret Yue's death more?" Sokka asked after a long silence. "When our mother died I was protecting Katara and Grangran and those too sick or old or weak to fight. _She told me_ to protect Katara, and she went and fought trying to fend off the attack. I did what I could, but I _failed _Yue. I was supposed to protect her. Just her." Sokka watched the waves churn in the storm and faded into silence.

"Isn't it true that women in your tribe aren't meant to fight?" Zuko asked softly, trying to figure out a kind of equation to how Iroh made people feel better. Sokka was loud and usually played the part of the fool but he was a strong fighter and Zuko felt he owed him something. Sokka looked up, confused, but he nodded. "But you let Katara fight?"

"Try and stop her." Sokka grunted, managing to smile even if it was clearly false.

"That's beside the point." But Zuko could not help but think of a childish Katara begging to learn to fight despite what her culture demanded. "You feel she can handle herself, you do not worry enough to _stop _her." Sokka nodded, realizing that Zuko was trying to make a point even if he couldn't see it.

"Yue was fighting too, but you do not love her enough to trust her?" Zuko tried to imitate the way Iroh let you stumble upon the conclusion for yourself. It seemed so much better than telling someone they were wrong and _how _they were wrong. He was still certain that Iroh would be able to have this conversation so much better. Zuko wasn't even sure if he was making the right point.

"What?" Sokka's voice suddenly gained an edge, confusion and righteous anger bubbling up to the surface.

"Maybe it is different but in the Fire Nation the Royal family lead and it is their duty to protect their people and act for their interests rather than their own." Neither pointed out that the last few generations of Fire Nation Royalty had _hardly _done that. Sokka fell into a sort of mollified silence, hearing Yue say something so similar all those months ago. "If Katara were to fall in battle you would mourn her, and maybe blame yourself a little, but you would know she died doing what she believed in and that she would not have wanted it any other way."

Sokka was horrified at first at the conversation and Zuko was certain for a moment that he had made a mess of things beyond repair. Then, at long last Sokka nodded. "I think I understand what you mean. She did," he looked away and Zuko pretended as though he didn't see the other wipe his eyes. "She always said that her duty was to her people." He let out a breath that was something between a sigh and a laugh. "I never realized how much she and Katara were alike." He admitted.

They watched the ocean and the storm in silence, neither ready to sleep again but both done with talking.

In the morning, when the storm was long passed and they were packing up their meager supplies Zuko watched as Aang offered Katara a small, glittering shell that had washed ashore. Whatever he was feeling for her—which was probably only because he was still unused to friendship and trust—was _wrong_. Aang was the Avatar and Zuko needed to help him. If Aang wanted Katara Zuko had no business caring about her, whether he wanted to or no.

Iroh was always telling Zuko he needed to pay more attention to girls, like the girl with the Ostrich-Horses. Quiet, soft-spoken. Even as friends he and Katara seemed to always be on the edge of a fight. He was honor bound to help the Avatar and he was certain that if Aang stopped acting like a child Katara would stop _treating _him like a child.


	28. Full Carrick Bend

**This is more an interlude than a proper chapter. We're getting into more exposition/planning of the final battle so I thought I would write a cute scene to show how much Zuko has grown and introduce Arnook from what I saw. I know all too well that from the same twenty minutes or so people can have totally different views on a character. So yeah, the next update will be filled with information and talking. Yay for War Councils. **

**There was also a tidge of foreshadowing but I don't think I need to point that out.**

* * *

Zuko was startled by how few people were in the Northern Water Tribe. He recalled the city as vast and bustling, which this hardly was. There were hardly a handful of guards on the ramparts and even with a crowd gathered to greet the coming of the Avatar there couldn't have been more than a score of people. The whole town seemed to be little more than a ghost-town with just enough people to keep it alive.

A part of Zuko regretted traveling with Aang more in that moment than any other. These people looked to Aang as their savior, the one who would defeat the harsh and oppressive Fire Nation. He recalled well the look on Lee's face. Zuko had just saved him, risked his own life and neck to defeat the soldiers many claimed to be worse than the Fire Nation; still that look of hatred and betrayal was burned into Zuko's mind as much as the scar was burned into his flesh.

Sela who had trusted him when there was no one else to trust had glared with enough hate that he wouldn't have doubted if she tried to kill him then and there.

He recalled leaving town slowly, certain that the people who had urged him on not a moment ago would—at any moment—pick up rocks and decide there was no reason to let him live. It reminded him of the small village and the battle against Fire Nation soldiers, only without a Waterbender too kind for her own good to come and save him.

The villagers cheered as loudly for Zuko dressed in plain Earth Kingdom Green as they had for the others.

Save for Katara.

Zuko would bet his broadswords that the women had managed to scream and shout even louder in welcome for Katara than for the Avatar himself.

Still, they did cheer for him as well, and he felt guilty, _he felt like a liar. _They wouldn't cheer for him if they knew he was a Firebender and they might try to capture and kill him if they knew he was the Fallen Prince of the Fire Nation. There was a twist of pain in his chest that he lied more _now _that he was fighting for Freedom and Peace, than he had when he was the villain they all still assumed him to be.

A young girl, still pudgy with baby-fat tugged at the hem of Zuko's shirt as he stood beside Appa and wondered how hard it would be to melt a hole in the ice for him to sink into. _It hadn't taken him long when he'd melted his way into the city. _He glanced down to her upturned face—cheeks rosy with the cold—and she held out one tiny hand a beaded necklace. There were a few broken bits of shell and what looked to be fish bones on a rough-made string.

He started at it for a long moment before he lifted it delicately and watched her smile widen. "I made it." She said showing that her two front teeth had fallen out and not yet been replaced by her adult teeth. It made the 's' whistle just a bit. "Fer luck. Be'cause you and the Av'tar will make things better. No one will go away to war an' no' come back." She explained, sounding far older than she should even with the whistle. "Momma 'elped." She admitted after a long silence, sounding a bit sheepish. Zuko knelt so he could look her in the eyes and tried to smile, holding it back out to her.

"I would be honored to ware the token of such a beautiful lady." He told her, remembering well the stories of brave warriors and their lady-loves that Uncle used to tell him when he was small and still listened. "But are you sure you don't want to give it to the Avatar?" He asked gently. She shook her head, sending the small, dark braids that framed her face swishing. She pointed to where a large group of women ranging in age from younger than he to older stood around with feathers and bones and things held out.

"Momma said ta give it ta someone who needs it." Her nose wrinkled as she spoke as though she was trying very hard to remember just what she wanted to say. "Aang has lots of luck." She finished, standing on her tip-toes to toss the necklace over Zuko's head. It caught on his ears but with a quick tug he settled it around his neck properly. Then he stood and bowed low to her.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart lady, and I will wear it with pride." He was certain that it wouldn't have been so easy to accept the trinket or the praise if she weren't so small. He doubted she would remember him in five years and somehow that made the unusual act of kindness that much easier.

The small child smiled wide and buried her face in the warm fluff of the coat she wore, giggling as she ran off and clung to the leg of a smiling older woman that Zuko guessed was her mother. He nodded once and turned away, fighting down a ridiculous urge to blush. He was surprised to find Katara watching him with a soft smile.

His smile faded in an instant and turned into a hard frown that only served to make her chuckle and shake her head.

"Avatar Aang! It is wonderful to see you all again!" A man proclaimed coming closer with arms spread wide. The crowd parted for him like water before a master.

"Chief Arnook!" Aang greeted, bowing while a step behind him Katara and Sokka mimicked the motion. "I would like to introduce you to Toph Bei Fong my Earthbending Master." It was always a surprise when Aang managed to act so fitting to his station and at the same time he managed it so well.

"And," If Aang was hesitant to reveal that he was traveling with Fire Nation Royalty he did not reveal it in the slightest. "This is General Iroh, the Dragon of the West and my Firebending master." There was a ripple of dissent through the gathered crowd but the Chief waved them quiet with a simple motion.

"It is an honor to meet you both." He announced loudly, bowing low to first Toph and then Iroh. Toph stood beside Katara, both her arms wrapped around one of Katara's and looking as furious as she was scared.

"And this is Iroh's nephew and as fine a guardian as I could ever want, Zuko." There was another murmur that rippled out over the crowd but Arnook ignored it and greeted Zuko with a kind smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you who travel with the Avatar." He said, his voice pitched loud so that all gathered could hear him. "Please, come to my home and eat at my table. There you can tell me about your journey and what had called you back here." He turned to Aang, "Our stables have seemed so empty since you last left us Avatar, I think those who work there will be glad to welcome back Appa." He smiled and laughed, "They will, no doubt, spoil him fiercely." Everyone chuckled and even those who had been eying Zuko warily meant every laugh.

Finally Arnook spun on his heel and walked them to one of the hundreds of canals that twisted through the vast city—Zuko would have bet it was larger than even the Fire Nation Capital—where there were boats waiting for them. Katara and Toph entered the first one, and if he had not been watching so carefully Zuko was certain he wouldn't have noticed just how scared Toph looked and just how much Katara was helping the other Master.

Iroh joined them chuckling about how he would nearly sink a boat so small as this and then complimenting the captain when he managed to hold it still. Aang, Sokka and Zuko joined Arnook in the second boat and under his breath Sokka explained that women were not allowed to travel with men their age. Iroh could act as a chaperon but that was different. Zuko nodded by way of thanks and was silent for most of the trip to the palace.

He had not had time on his last visit to take in the sights of this place and he had not realized how fascinating the city was. Everything was made of ice and snow and held together with the power of the Benders he supposed. They had even taken the time to carve intricate designs into the sides of the bridges and buildings.

As they traveled Arnook pointed out things they had begun to restore and rebuild since the Fire Nation raid and Zuko was amazed that the leader did not even once shoot a glare or even a half-way cruel look toward either Zuko or Iroh.

Here was possibly the only leader who would not blame Zuko for being from the Fire Nation but the man could not look at a woman and see something more than a marriageable pawn it seemed. It was a strange contrast to the way the rest of the world was.

"The city seems so empty." Aang murmured, seeing only the occasional person rather then the bustling society he recalled from their last visit.

"Many of our best Benders and warriors traveled to our Sister Tribe in the South. We have ignored them too long ." Arnook explained in his calm voice. Sokka cheered up instantly and began flooding the chief with questions about the restoration of the Southern Tribe.

"It is the least we can do when you and your companions save our tribe." Arnook assured him with a smile and a kind laugh. "We might not be able to manage a city so large as this but we will make sure it is as grand. A city that the Avatar's Waterbending Master can be proud to call home."

"Mistress." Aang was quick to interject. Arnook was quiet for a moment and then a small smile curled at the corners of his lips and he nodded once.

"Of course." Zuko wondered if Aang really believed that or if he realized that the leader was just trying to placate him because he was the Avatar. Though it was interesting to see Aang actually acting the part of the Avatar rather than acting like a child merely out to have fun and play with his friends. Sometimes it was difficult for Zuko to look at the young boy and see the savior of the world that some people had such absolute faith in, but now, it was not so difficult.

"Aren't you worried with most of your Benders away?" Aang asked.

"They have warriors too." Sokka said, sounding only a little petulant. "You don't need to be a Bender to protect your home and your family."

"That's not what I meant Sokka." Aang sighed.

"We sent warriors of all kinds to the South Pole." Arnook interjected, breaking up the fight before it started. Zuko wondered if this was some trick that Water Tribe children were taught while Fire Nation children were, instead, leaning their numbers and letters. "Your Tribe has lost it best warriors with you and your father away. We wish to rebuild their culture and protect them and therefore need fighters from all walks of life." Arnook assured Sokka.

The palace seemed to rise up out of the ground suddenly as they rounded a bend in the river-way they were currently traveling. It was as large as the palace where Zuko spent his childhood if not as warm. He also highly doubted that there were gardens hidden within the walls. He doubted anything could grow in such a horribly cold environment as this and he could easily see why Katara and Sokka had been so quick to leave their home.

Still he could not deny that it was a work of art and clearly Waterbenders were very skilled if they could make something so grand as this.


	29. The Crocodile's Passion

**Well a lot happens in this chapter, so while it is hardly epically long I think it should be very interesting for you all (I hope). We're getting into the more action-y stuff so even though the chapters won't change much in length I think they might seem longer. You'll have to tell me!**

**Also, I wanna give a quick reminder. Lately a lot of new readers seem to be stumbling upon my little fic so I wanted to repost that I update every Friday (when I can) and that I should think it would be obvious I don't own Avatar. Though even if I did own something fandom worthy I _would totally _write fanfiction for it.   
**

* * *

Arnook had shown them a series of apartments in the Royal Quarters of the Keep. He offered them clothes should they want to change and warm water for baths as well as food—which Sokka was more than thrilled to accept. Katara sighed at her brother and Aang assured the Chief that they didn't need much at all.

"Nonsense. It will be a while before the Council can gather properly and I would be remiss in my duties if I did not cater to your needs when our hopes rest with you." In the end the Chief was able to convince them to take a small dinner in their quarters—there was apparently a Water Tribe custom that it was inappropriate to eat during a council meeting. Zuko could understand that well, the Fire Nation shared the same custom.

The meal that servants brought—Giggling girls who tittered behind their dark-skinned hands and blushed whenever Aang happened to glance their way. Sokka managed a weak smile or two but he had seemed to lose his over-exuberant nature now that they had arrived. Zuko had never been in love, but he recalled how his heart still hurt over his mother's disappearance and did not push the matter.

Toph was sitting on an over-large pillow with her arms crossed and a dour look on her face while Katara hemmed the sleeves of one of the coats the Airbending Rebels had given them. The sleeves were far too long for Toph and got in the way of her hands whenever she tried to do anything. Iroh sat near her laughing and telling a story about the time when he was still training in the army and he and his companions had decided to play a prank on their Sargent.

The food looked questionable at best and that was even compared to the hardtack cakes he'd often eaten when still at sea. He gave serious thought to refusing to eat the horrid green paste but Iroh was staring at him—golden eyes hard. Zuko sighed heavily, annoyed that Iroh still treated him like a child at times and even more annoyed that the old man could still guilt Zuko into doing what he wished for the most part.

He took a spoonful grudgingly and was surprised by the taste. It was far saltier than he would have guessed—long trips over the ocean had water in such short supply that it was dangerous to dare to eat anything that would make you thirst so viciously. He supposed that surrounded by ice and snow there was never a shortage of water and that the salt would certainly help preserve the meat during the coldest of months.

It wasn't nearly as bad as hardtack but he couldn't honestly say he would ever choose to eat it but it was filling.

Aang and Momo seemed aghast that anyone would eat the strange, chunky paste and Zuko had to, after a time, peer at Iroh to see his reaction to the paste. Iroh seemed to be devouring the food with a vigor that almost surpassed Sokka's own reaction to the food.

After the meal the same giggling serving girls lead them to the large chamber that served as Chief Arnook's War Room. It was a large circular room with a fire in the center to keep things warmer than in the rest of the city and a large table that circled around the fire. Men had already gathered filling only about half of the seats and Zuko wondered if that was because they were low on people or if the table had been enlarged for the benefit of Aang and his companions.

A flurry of whispering kicked up when their small group entered the room, Zuko had a moment where he was certain that they were speaking about him and Iroh and he was worried that even Arnook wouldn't be able to make it okay for two Firebenders to enter such a sacred chamber. It took a moment longer for him to realize the men were saving their dirty looks for Katara and Toph.

"Avatar," Arnook started, approaching their group slowly, "This chamber is a scared place for our people where our most trusted elders can meet and discuss issues that plague our families." He said with a soft smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Arnook looked at Toph and Katara out of the corner of his eye. Toph was—for once in her life beyond just riding on Appa—was well and truly blind and she wasn't taking to it well. Sokka still seemed quiet and withdrawn and so the duty of helping the stubborn Earthbender.

"Women are not welcome here. We will accept your Firebending master if we must," Another Elder spoke, his face wrinkled and gray hair thinning against his skull.

"We might get the advantage from them!" Someone murmured snidely, the sound carrying in the large chamber.

"But so long as I am alive I will not see a woman defile this scared place!" He finished, ignoring the outburst of the other man. Silence settled over everyone gathered, smug on the part of the councilmen and horrified on the part of the Avatar's friends.

Arnook was the quickest to recover and spoke before anyone else could. "Avatar you have to understand that it is against our customs to allow women into our chambers like this. We respect that you need to learn Fire and we allow your Firebending teacher and his nephew but this is our history. Lady Katara can explain it surely, she is from our tribe and surely she understands even if the Southern Tribe was so small they _had _to allow women to participate." Arnook explained, a smile softening his features.

"You allowed her to learn Waterbending, to _master _it and so you should allow her too as my Waterbending teacher." Aang said, his voice as sharp as a knife and though it was soft it seemed to fill the room up to the very edges. "And as my Earthbending teacher you will allow Toph as well."

"Avatar Aang, this is not a matter of overcoming prejudice built upon war. This has been our way for as long as our Tribe has been in existence. You cannot expect us to set that aside for you." Arnook's voice took on a hard edge in desperation.

Toph and Katara were seething quietly, ready to step in and argue their own case, but Aang was faster.

"You ask me to fight the Fire Nation threat, to learn and master the four elements and return balance to a war-torn world. You ask me to live for you and your families rather than live for myself and I will. I will die for you if I must because it is the right thing to do, but I expect you to welcome my family and to treat them right. Katara and Toph will stay and that is final." He looked so much older than the child he was normally and it was one of the rare times when one could see the Avatar instead of the child in him. "If you do not like that women will sit at your table and help to plan this war—for you certainly do not seem to mind that they will fight in it!--then you may leave." No one moved or spoke for a long time.

Arnook finally sighed heavily and nodded once. "If that is the way you feel than that is the way we must do things. Gentlemen I will not ask you to defy generations of tradition just because Aang has asked you to, you may leave if you wish." It was not lost on any of the group that Arnook had dropped the habit of referring to Aang only by his title.

Katara tried to control the wicked smile that twitched at the corners of her mouth and failed miserably though pride definitely fought for a dominate position on her features. Toph did not try to control her wild, wicked grin in the slightest.

One man, the older gentleman who had spoken out so vehemently in the first place. He nodded to the men gathered at the table and then to Arnook before walking silently out of the room. A heartbeat longer and it seemed that no one else dared to move.

Arnook motioned after a moment and lead them to the table of ice. They sat slowly and silently; everyone seemed terrified to break the strange and awkward peace that had settled over them after Aang's outburst and the other Councilman's departure.

"We will help you in any way we can." Arnook sighed finally, pressing his hands tight against the edge of the table.

Aang explained what the Airbenders had told them, asking when the comet would be coming and where they could get troops to battle the Fire Nation Army while Aang defeated Sozin. They needed supplies and a battle plan.

Zuko listened with half an ear, lost in memories of the first time he had been allowed into a War Room. It was so different from Ozai's that he had not even considered the connection. However listening to these old men bickering about what was best and where troops would go; them talking as though they weren't planning the movements of thousands of lives. It was all the same and he could feel his heart pounding violently in his chest despite the calm exterior that he portrayed.

Had it really only been a few years? It felt as though it had been several lifetimes ago that he'd made the mistake of speaking out against an aged general who didn't care for his people the way he should. It was the people who made up an army and therefore a Nation. The rulers, the general merely led the way.

Iroh kept an eye on Zuko throughout the proceedings and bore a sad smile on his aged face. He knew Zuko well enough to be bale to tell just how this was effecting the fallen prince.

"We do have the information you seek. We have Star Charts that can tell us what has been and what will, I will have my advisors look into this matter and they will find the date of this comet of which you speak. As for the troops, as you can see we are hardly able to defend ourselves at the moment and what excess we had is already stretched thin trying to help our dear friends in the South Pole." The way Arnook spoke it seemed more as though they were unwilling to help than they were actually unable to offer assistance.

He glanced to Katara, who still looked as furious and sullen as Toph. "And even Master Pakku has gone away." Arnook added, Katara sighed and glanced down at the tabletop. That would explain why things were going so poorly for her and Toph here. Pakku had been one of the only male supporters albeit reluctantly. He had—by the time Katara left—realized that it was a poor choice not to allow women to be equal to men, but that did not mean he was yet comfortable with the thought.

"Avatar Aang--" Aang was the most startled by Iroh's use of his title but like the others he realized that there had to be a reason for it. The fight may rest on their shoulders but Iroh was far more experienced in this area than them. He knew how to find troops and command vast battalions of men. He knew the secret double meanings to the things said in War Rooms like this one. "If you would allow me to say something?" Iroh asked kindly. Aang, still stunned, nodded mutely. "Thank you." He murmured, turning to Arnook. "I just wished to point out that you have able men here ready to fight, if you withdrew those unable to fight into the palace you would have more fortifications and far less need for soldiers. Even just a handful of soldiers would assist our battle against my brother. His forces are vast and he has been building them up for years while we have only a limited window in which to fight back." Iroh's voice was gentle and cajoling.

"No. I cannot allow it. I see the good in fighting the Fire Lord but there is hardly a use. There is no promise you will be able to best him. My people come first and they need whatever protection I can offer them." Arnook insisted. "I have given more than I should in helping the Southern Water Tribe." He admitted.

"Ah, but this battle will decide the fate of the world, should we fail Ozai will come after you and even if you joined forces with the Southern Tribes you could not match his numbers. This battle, these warriors," he motioned to the group surrounding him, "are your only chance. We are speaking of the final battle, the turning point in a hundred years of war. If we do not win now, everyone will fall no matter how large you build the walls around your city." Iroh's voice had gone hard and authoritative. Zuko recalled well the General of his childhood but it came as a surprise to the others.

None more so than Arnook.

"General Iroh is correct." No one could be certain but it sounded like the heckler from before. "We cannot hide behind these walls forever and the Fire Nation has already proved they can easily best our defenses. If Avatar Aang had not been here the last time we would have fallen then!" A dull murmur of agreement began then. It started low and began to grow as more of the men came to agree.

Arnook sagged in his seat and sighed heavily.

"You agree then? That we should sacrifice what little remains of our armies, putting more sons and fathers at risk at something that might not work?" He asked, his voice as hard as his blue eyes.

"And hiding is a better plan?" Katara snapped, standing suddenly. "You cannot sit by and do nothing forever! Something has to be done. If you've a better idea than let us hear it. But if not you can only depend on Aang and right now he's asking for your help!" She stared down all the men at the table and Iroh was reminded of a younger Zuko, facing down generals even older than his father, brave with the knowledge that he was right.

But Katara would not suffer the same fate as Zuko had so long ago.

The men around the table fell silent, cowed by the young girl they had been so against accepting moments ago.

"Mistress Katara is right." One of the men stood, swallowing hard and looking around at his fellows. Katara shot a shy smile his way and he refused to meet her eyes. "I lost my sons when the Fire Nation attacked. Our families will suffer no matter which path we follow, but if I am going to suffer the loss of my children, I would rather it be _fighting _this tyranny rather than hiding here and _waiting _for it to come all the while _hoping _that it never will visit us. If the Avatar wants us to fight, we should fight! He saved us once already and our whole city is indebted to him. It is the least we can do." He shouted, becoming more courageous as he went along.

When he was done the heckler stood up and shouted his agreement, followed by two others until all but Arnook were standing and pledging their fealty and willingness to follow Aang into battle.

"It seems that you have turned my council against me, and while some of our traditions seem to be fading," he did not disguise the look he gave Katara and Toph this time, "Some are still strong. I am out-voted and so against my judgment we will follow you into battle and do whatever you think is right. Even so we do not have more than a score of men we can spare." He glared at Iroh for a moment, "Even if we withdraw into the palace. We will find out when your comet is coming and will meet you and whatever other troops you can drum up where you would have us. And each of our men will fight with the courage of ten warriors." He promised and though he was undoubtedly unhappy about the turn of events Iroh smiled and did not doubt that his men would fight bravely.

He was a man rooted in tradition and even if some _were _indeed fading he would not lose any more should he be able to help it, and their warriors--benders or no--had always been the bravest of the brave.

* * *

The guards at the gate were on edge the moment they spotted the black smear on the horizon that was a Fire Nation ship, but soon it was close enough that they could see the two young boys standing on the helm of the ship, waving their arms and hollaring in victory. 

"Ho there!" One of the guards shouted. "Who goes?"

"We're from the Southern Tribe! We were attacked by Fire Nation soldiers and our ships sank, but we defeated them!" The shorter of the two boys hollared, his voice still reed-thin and feminine. He couldn't have been much older than fourteen. "We're in need of food and water. And medical assistance! We're the only two yet unhurt!" He continued.

"We also managed to capture some of the Fire Nation soldiers! They might have valuable inforamtion." The other said. He too was young but his voice was deeper, darker and just a hint cruel. Here was a boy that had seen battle. The guards sent up a cheer that was mimicked by their compatriots all up and down the walls and they sent word for a healers while they lowered the wall and welcomed the young heroes home.


	30. Danse Macabre

**Hurrah! Break out the confetti readers! Sure this is already longer than any other story I've EVER written (well chapter-wise) but seriously there's gotta be something lucky about hitting Chapter 30! Thanks so very much for sticking with me this long! And I've got a sneaky surprise in the coming chapters (not the next but the one after that) that I'm pretty sure you're going to like.**

** Furthermore the FIRST to guess where else we saw the name "Tho" already in the series, without cheating, will WIN the option (to be redeemed at any time in the future) of hearing ONE spoiler. I'll figure it out and hash out the full rules with whomever wins. (And if you don't want a spoiler but know something else you DO want, guess away, I'm totally flexible.)**

**Fixed a huge mistake! If you don't know what it was, I'm not telling you so that you may keep thinking I'm half-way competent. **

* * *

**  
**

The council meeting adjourned with the tolling of the evening bell. Arnook didn't say a word when he left, but he cast a dark look at the group surrounding Aang all the same. Iroh sighed and touched Zuko's shoulder. The young prince had been ready to fight since Arnook first showed signs of dissension.

"This is not like your father's War Room." Iroh murmured softly, keeping his voice low enough that it was only between he and his nephew.

"I know that." Zuko snapped viciously, not that Iroh could blame the boy.

"Then do not be so quick to think that a disagreement will lead to a fight." Iroh pointed out gently. Zuko sighed heavily and turned away, walking over to where Aang stood talking to an older man.

"I insist you and your friends join my family for dinner. I think La--" He stopped and smiled softly and tried again, "_Mistress _Katara became close with my wife the last time you honored our village with your presence." He explained, patting Aang's shoulder.

"Who's your wife?" Katara asked with a pleasant smile.

"Yugoda, the one who teaches the women to heal." He answered, turning his kind gaze to Katara. Blue eyes were so strange to Zuko, something he had only ever associated with Sokka and Katara that it was odd to suddenly be completely surrounded by them.

"Of course!" Katara exclaimed, suddenly excited. Zuko wondered how she could so easily brush off the anger and annoyance he _knew _she felt earlier when none of these men would see her as a master. He had no doubts that were they to look down on him as they did her and Toph he would be certain to do something drastic that he might even regret.

He snorted.

He was certain that were there any earth to be found Toph would have shown them just what a female bender could do. In the end—mostly due to Sokka wailing incessantly that he was hungry and it had been _seven whole hours _since he last ate_—_they took Tho up on his offer. It seemed that Sokka was back to normal for the most part, which wasn't exactly a good thing in Zuko's mind. The _mighty warrior _had table manners like a saber-toothed mooselion.

Zuko took the seat beside Aang—who seemed to have chosen to sit across from Katara since Toph and Yugoda seemed to be monopolizing the seats on either side of her. There was still that inexplicable twist deep in his stomach when he looked at her and he was certain that it would vanish as soon as Aang was brave enough to make his feelings known. After all, there was no way someone like Katara could _not _want the Avatar. She had been one of those precious few who continued to believe the Avatar would show up even after a hundred years and end the war that was engulfing the whole of the world.

It would be easy to turn that endless hope and hero-worship into love.

He admitted that his Uncle was right, he didn't know much about courting girls, but if Sokka was anything like the boys Katara was used to, Aang was a step up. Tho and Yugoda lived in a small home and while Zuko would have expected a Councilman in a town like this to have servants they had none. They served the meal themselves with help from Katara, Aang and Iroh—who refused to sit idly by no matter what the host and hostess insisted.

Zuko hadn't realized that he was hungry until he smelled the heady aroma of baked fish. He had thought that none of their food would be decedent and instead they would ensure their food would keep it when the months grew too cold and game was scarce. He had to be honest though that the fish was as good as the Royal Chef made in the Palace—his mother had loved smoked fish.

He had expected Toph to be surly at best, deprived of her element as such but that was not so. She sat beside Katara, quiet and sullen. They had shared parts of her story with Iroh and Zuko when they joined, and he wondered if this was not how she had acted at home, now that she suddenly _was_ that helpless blind girl they all insisted she was.

She picked at her food at best and when the whole room shook to accompany a loud crash of thunder sending plates to the floor hers was the only one with anything left. Even Zuko had managed to clean his plate.

Iroh and Sokka were tied having cleared their plates twice each.

The group—well used to being on guard and ready for a fight—were on their feet in a moment even the ground still trembled with the aftershock. Toph stood for a moment and then seemed to waver with indecision.

When the screaming reached them Sokka grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. "Yugoda, Tho you stay here!" Aang shouted, taking off quickly with his glider to get an overhead look at just what was happening. Iroh opted to stay behind and protect the couple. Yugoda was a skilled healer but could not use her gift for fighting and Tho wasn't a bender or a warrior.

The ground shook again but this time they saw black smoke curling up into the air and the wind turned bringing the scent of fire, smoke and burning ozone. Even when she was sitting beside a campfire and laughing with her new family and the smoke filled her lunges all she could think of was Fire Nation soldiers and battle. She feared she could never deal with smoke without thinking of battle ever again and dreaded returning home and trying to smoke meats with Gran-Gran.

Toph tugged off her gloves—Katara had made them of a heavy green fabric she found at the market in the underground city—and pressed her hands tight against the ice of the ground. "Stupid Waterbending...waterlogged the lot of them...too good to live on land." She grumbled, trembling with the cold or the effort no one was certain.

"I've got Toph's back." Sokka said, his voice dark and serious. Katara nodded, but before she could take off in the direction of fighting Sokka grabbed her arm just above the elbow. Zuko was gone around a corner before Sokka began to talk. "Just be careful and don't do anything stupid. You're my only sister." Sokka grunted, but there was so much more behind the words. A lifetime worth of cautions and warnings as only an older brother can pass to a sister with a look.

Katara nodded deftly and sped off, leaving Sokka to stand over Toph. "What are you doing?" Even given the serious nature of the current situation he couldn't resist asking.

"This'd be a whole lot easier if you'd _shut up_." She growled, her voice strained.

He had the decency to wait half a moment before he spoke again, "_What_ would be easier?" Toph rolled her eyes and refused to answer.

Katara found soon enough that there weren't that many troops, but that the problem lay in the fact that most of the Water Tribe warriors were too busying protecting families to fight back, though she was grateful to see someone had the brilliant idea to start herding the weak toward the center of the city where they could be safe-guarded with ease.

She recalled how safe the inner palace was from the last time they had fought here, and she hoped this battle would not require Aang to enter the Avatar State; it seemed to frighten Aang as much as it terrified her.

* * *

Zuko found Ty Lee before he found troops. He buried whatever emotions would accompany knowing that this was not _just _a Fire Nation raid on one of the last two strongholds left in the world—and really one of the last two _threats _to Ozai's domination—and focused solely on Ty Lee. 

He knew that if she was here than Azula was not far behind and suddenly the booming noises and scent of ozone made sense. He wished desperately for some way to contact the others to alert them to the danger that was his sister.

"Hi!" She bubbled, doing an impressive flip off the roof of a near-by building and offering a wave that could have bee misconstrued as kind if he didn't know_ just_ how easily she could kill—and _just_ how ready she was to kill for Azula. She was dressed in blue-dyed wool and white fur and his blood ran cold when he recognized it as Katara's old coat.

_They stole our gear._ He realized, and from the soot smeared over her pale cheeks he realized they must have posed as Water Tribe citizens to get past what little security there was.

"Ty Lee." He nodded at her, his eyes dropped quickly to her booted feet—Fire Nation boots were mostly covered by too-long pants. Apparently neither Katara nor Sokka's boots had fit her. He'd watched she and Azula and Mai play throughout his childhood, he didn't know half of what she could do but he knew that everything started as a step and if he could see _that _he might have a chance at defeating her. The only real advantage he had was that he could project his fire while she needed to be withing touching distance for her skill to be of any use.

"Awww! Still a sour-puss? You know I could align your chakras for you. It'd do _wonders _for that disposition." That was the other thing, she wasn't sarcastic like Azula, she probably meant that with every ounce of her heart. But she was still a cold-blooded killer beneath the pink silk and smiles.

"Pass." He grunted, jumping backward in time to miss a lightning-fast strike. He never figured out what points did what, but he was best off assuming any touch would kill him before he realized she'd struck him. He knew how to fight and with that came leaps and intricate footwork but even Azula looked as clumsy as a kimodo rhinoceros next to Ty Lee.

He got some amount of satisfaction knowing how much that must vex his _dear _sister.

"Oooh, you're _never _any fun." She pouted and then she was suddenly behind him and he felt her fingers catch in the thick fabric of his hideously blue coat before he could get away from her. That was too close and he admonished himself for not paying more attention. She was grinning at him and she had the audacity to wink. "Hey! You're getting _fast!_" She was honestly impressed but it was no comfort. "I'm impressed." His eyes narrowed but he refused to rise to the challenge. He was above being baited even if it had taken him seventeen years to get to this point.

He didn't say anything but he formulated a plan quick enough. She was so busy taunting him, waiting for him to get angry and possibly sloppy, she was letting her guard down. He supposed it was why he'd spoken out for those soldiers that day and why he was now on the Avatar's side _against _his father, but he didn't think he could kill her. She'd never been as cruel as Azula and he _had _grown up with her.

She fairly flew at him and he side-stepped while shooting a small blast of fire the opposite direction he had moved. Ty Lee tried to do a back-flip out of the way but Fire Nation boots—while comfortable for long marches—lacked the traction that was so necessary to Water Tribe boots. Her feet kicked out from under her and she landed hard enough on her stomach to knock the wind out of her.

He moved fast, knowing how quickly she would recover when they were children and knowing she was probably faster now, and cracked her on the back of her head, right where her neck connected to her skull. She grunted and he prepared to strike her again but then she was still. She'd tied a length of rope around her waist trying to keep the coat tight against her skin—unused to harsh winters and cold—and he bound her hands and feet together. He wasn't certain how long it would hold someone like her but he only needed enough time to warn the others.

If Azula had the element of surprise on her side he had no doubt that even Aang might fall before her. Even Iroh—who had mastered channeling lighting and rendered her strongest attack useless—might not best her if she had the advantage.

* * *

**PLEASE NOTE!!!! Before you rag on me that Zuko is SIXTEEN rather than the Eighteen I've listed. Please consider this, I view the first season as having taking a year, putting him at Seventeen and I'd like to think between what I kept of the second season and what I've written another year has passed. Which--for that matter--bumps everyone's age up two years but really I'm mentioning this because I know that some of you are as geeky for the show as I am.**

**alphabeticalescape **I'm glad you think I have the group's dynamics down, it is one of the best parts of the show so I'm honored! As for Pakku, no he's just in the Southern Tribe helping the rebuilding effort (and maybe trying to reunite with Kana? )


	31. Seven for a secret

**Okay, as long as there's been an outburst of Mai vs Katara squabbling since the release of that clip from season three I wanted to assure everyone that I rather like Mai, nothing I say about her is meant to be taken as an insult, rather it's being told from Sokka's side of the fight. Frankly of Ozai's Angels I like Mai the best, but you have to admit she always speaks in that same dull monotone and she is vicious. This is all that matters in this chapter.**

** I just wanted to clear that up because I've seen how cruel some of the shipping wars can get and I know a couple of people disagreed with my characterization of Ty Lee. So I wanted to make it clear this is just how I see them, no secret message to be deciphered.**

**Another mini-notice. I know most of you are now used to being able to wake up as early as you like on Friday and still having the chapter to read because I've been updating late Thursday a lot of the time. Well, with the new semester starting I will still be keeping my Friday deadline, but the chapters MAY come out later in the day. I don't think there will be any effect but I would rather warn you and haveit NOT happen than not warn you and worry someone. :)**

**I'm done, please enjoy the chapter now... **

* * *

**  
**

Sokka watched Katara running off to join the battle for a long moment, staring after her even when she was gone from sight. Though they could almost be considered friends, he still loathed to admit that Zuko was right.

He worried about Katara, but he trusted her to fight and even if she was killed in battle he would mourn her as a warrior and know she'd died doing what she thought was right. He should feel the same about Yue who wasn't even actually dead. She had moved on and become something so much more than just a princess and a kiss that smelled of ice and ash and ended a lifetime too soon.

He sighed and steeled himself, focusing now on protecting the people that Yue had been so determined to save. He turned back to Toph who was still kneeling on the ground and touching the ice; her fingers turning red with the cold.

He opened his mouth to ask just what it was she was trying to do, but the words died in his mouth. He heard a high-pitched whine and threw himself to the ground before he fully realized what was happening.

"Hmm. I can't believe I missed." He recalled well that dull and listless voice and found her easily enough. Mai was wrapped in Fire Nation robes still and her arms were folded across her chest while she stared at him from across one of the small canals. She looked relaxed but there was a needle-thin dagger in the ice of the wall behind him that said how ready for a fight she was.

Sokka was used to the ice and he slid sideways quickly, putting himself between Mai and Toph. Sokka cursed under his breath and tried not to wonder where Azula was. He would have enough trouble with Mai. He had strength and the advantage of being born and trained on the ice.

But Mai didn't_ need _to move her feet and though his boomerang could be used as a club should the need arise, she was far better equipped for close-quarters fighting.

He had always made sure to fight Ty Lee—since she could not steal his bending—and leave Mai to Aang who was far faster than even Mai's daggers. Behind him Toph was still doing something—he couldn't imagine what since there was no earth for hundreds of miles—and he knew he had to protect her. He owed her for as many times as she had saved his life, he owed her for all their fighting in the last couple of weeks.

The only thing he could offer Toph was to be bait and so he threw his boomerang just as Hakoda had taught him so many years ago with the same flick of his wrist and jerk of his fingertips. After years of practice he knew just where the boomerang would return to and he ran forward, drawing Mai's fire away from Toph.

He had hoped that the attack would distract her, or even unbalance her for just a moment, but he felt one dagger whiz past his cheek and another took a large chunk of his sleeve with it. That was a small victory. She was not used to fighting in heavy winter clothing and it threw off her aim. She could not tell what was coat and what was Sokka while, at the same time, it slowed her movements down a fraction on her end.

She was still significantly faster and when he caught his boomerang there was a sharp pain that startled him and faded to a dull ache as he pushed it into the back of his mind. His hand had clamped hard onto his boomerang out of habit, and he clung to it still even after one of Mai's daggers pierced through the center of his hand.

_Why would I ever throw my boomerang with my other hand? I'm stronger with my right._

_Sokka, sometimes a warrior is injured in battle and unable to stop fighting. A _man _needs to be able to fight through pain. What would happen if you lost the use of your right hand and never learned to throw with your left?_

_Oh. Okay._

He had been so mad when he was small and his father made him train even when he was sick or hurt, and even more furious when he had to learn to do everything with either hand.

When he pulled the dagger free and found himself unable to close his hand he was suddenly grateful for all the lessons. It would hurt later he was certain but for now it was detrimental enough that he seemed to have lost control of his fingers.

Three more daggers whipped at him as Mai chased him from her side of the canal and with all the force he could muster he launched his boomerang. It wobbled a bit and was off the mark but that proved to be a good thing. Mai had guessed where he was aiming and attempted to move only to walk into it's path. He was still weak with his left but she grunted in pain and a handful of daggers dropped in the moment her arm was stunned.

It wasn't much, but it was something. It seemed her strength was throwing them, and if the dagger he'd pulled from his hand was any sign of what she had concealed they were useless at close range. Sokka took a fortifying breath and offered a soft prayer to Yue, and then to Zhi who guarded all Water Tribe warriors.

He darted across the nearest bridge and flew at her with the surety of step only a Water Tribesman could manage.

Well, one from the poles, he was not quick to forget those Western Waters Tribesman with their strange and blurred lines between Pet and Food.

He tackled her to the ground rolling the both of them over and over again until he was close enough to where his boomerang had fallen. He grabbed it just in time for Mai to recover from the surprise attack. With narrowed eyes and all the compassion of a demon she palmed one of her tiny blades and drove it with a surprising amount of force into his side. She had been aiming for his heart but the ground suddenly shifted beneath them sending the both of them tumbling wildly.

Mai was the first to stand, unsteady on shifting ground.

Sokka was startled to find that the ice had shattered and split to reveal sand and rock, like from the ocean floor. It took him two tries to stand and when he finally managed it Toph was grinning like a madman looking the part of the Blind Bandit they had met so long ago.

He pressed his one good hand against the bleeding gash on his side and wavered on his feet as he watched Toph back in her element after far too long away.

Sokka traveled with the Avatar all over the world, and his sister was already a great Master at her art, but in that moment he would have bet that Toph could beat either of them. Under her feet the mud and sand turned to rock because of her sheer will.

He did not know Mai—a fact he was grateful for—but he doubted she was the type to openly show all her emotions like her companion Ty Lee. But she stood stunned at what was before her for a long moment. Toph lifted a large chunk of the island she had created and lobbed it with force and grace to match Mai with her knives.

"You think you're a match for me?" Toph asked, the grin looking more and more manic by the second. Her fingers were red from the cold but it did not seem to stop her or even slow her down.

"More than a match, for a little blind girl." Mai didn't even sound tired in the slightest. "They say you can see through the earth." She mentioned, a larger, heavier dagger slipping into her palm from within the red silk folds of her sleeve. "How do you see what's in the air?" The dagger whipped through the air like a shooting star and followed by a trail of three more smaller daggers.

Toph lifted a huge section of the ground between them up into the air and curved it over her like a small cave. "That's easy." Toph snarled from within her shelter. Suddenly the ground under Mai moved and she dropped to her knees as the slice she stood on lifted into the air and turned to dust. There was a sickeningly wet crack as her head struck the ground first, followed by the rest of her body as limp as a doll.

That wasn't enough for the Blind Bandit and a cage of stone grew around her, confining the still body to a small space, too small to let her draw any further daggers.

Sokka smiled and opened his mouth only to groan weakly as his knees gave out under him. The fight was over and now there was nothing keeping him from thinking of the pain. His hand felt as though it were on fire and it was so painful to breath he wished—for a moment—that he might stop.

"Snoozles?" It might have been the pain driving him mad but he could have sworn that Toph's voice trembled for a moment. "Snoozles answer me!" She demanded and she was at his side now, her small hands grabbing at the fabric of his coat and coming away wet with blood.

"Sokka! Stay awake!" She demanded, tugging hard on the lapel of his coat just as the word faded away.

* * *

Katara grinned as she pushed a wave as tall as two men toward the small group of soldiers. It turned to ice as soon as it engulfed them and two were trapped inside while one had managed to keep his head above the water, so to speak. 

She spun, a waterwhip already curled around her in a defensive position, to face the new opponent.

"So you're the Avatar's widdle Water Master? I must say, I'm hardly impressed." Katara's heart froze within her breast as she beheld Princess Azula, heir to the Fire Nation throne and Zuko's sister. She didn't let even a shred of fear show on her face and adjusted her stance, ready for anything. Azula laughed again, a sound that might have been comforting were it coming from anyone else. "Stupid peasant. You're hardly fit to train the Avatar, it is no wonder he will lose."

"I am smarter than you think, and strong enough to best you!" Katara shouted, launching her whip at the other girl.

"Not smart enough. Didn't anyone ever tell you? Water conducts electricity." There was the smell of burning ozone and the hairs on the back of Katara's neck stood on end. Finally a clap of thunder loud enough to rattle her teeth.

She flinched as she felt the water burn away to steam and then, nothing. She opened her eyes in a heartbeat and beheld Zuko standing in front of her. He had come from seemingly nowhere and now stood between Azula and Katara. One arm was raised to the sky and the other directed at his sister, who looked livid.

"Meddling pest! Father should have killed you when he had the chance!" She shouted, launching into a kick of blue fire so hot the buildings around them started to melt. Zuko stumbled back and away, close enough for Katara to smell the ash on him.

"Get out of here! Go find Aang and the others." He told her as Azula attacked again, nearly catching Katara in a spray of blue flames. Zuko roared like the Lion guardian Lao Tai-ye of legend and white flames circled he and Katara, burning bright enough to force Katara to shut her eyes and even the the image of Zuko against those flames was thrown up against the backs of her eyelids.


	32. Scholar's Mate

**Hey all! I know, I know! I barely made it today. I promise I'll be better next time but I've only been getting about six hours of sleep and it's been kicking my ass. But technically...I am still on time. So that's worth something I suppose.**

**Anyway I know a lot of you were looking forward to a grand Zuko/Azula fight scene but I promise you won't be disappointed by the end of everything. For now and for this chapter? Well maybe a little disappointed. You've all had faith in me for thirty chapters so hopefully you'll trust me that you will be SICK of my fight scenes by the end of this beast of a story.**

**PS to those who try to figure out the chapter titles, this one I'm not so sure of, it's a chess move and I really blow at chess and all the descriptions were like Nf4 to qp73nhfn and so I just tried to understand them as best that I could and guessed. So sorry to any chess-nerds I've caused injury to by picking a title that makes no sense. **

* * *

Zuko shouted over his shoulder—not daring to look away from his sister even as he drew his dual swords and they were engulfed in the same white fire so bright it burned your eyes with all the intensity of the sun—for Katara to leave and allow him to deal with Azula.

She could not find the strength to leave his side though. She could tell that this was something he needed more than she could imagine, a way for him to finally cast off the last vestiges of his old life and final proof that he was on their side—a fact Katara was certain none of them doubted at this point.

However she would call him friend and she did not wish to abandon him when he was fighting an opponent so strong as Azula. Even with this strange surge of power that still had her stunned Katara would not have wanted to leave _anyone _alone to fight Azula and her cold fire.

She had no intention of leaving Zuko to battle his sister alone—not now that she called him "friend" and knew how hard his childhood with the girl had been—but from the air there was a flash of orange and yellow as Aang swooped overhead.

"Katara!" She did not dare look away from Azula but Zuko told her to leave again and drew his swords which put her at ease at least to some extent. She drew up a large wave of water and ice to bring her up and over a row of buildings and meeting Aang on the roof, hopefully safe from Azula and her army for at least a moment.

"Aang." She hadn't realized how worried she was for him, for all of them, until he landed as light as a feather before her. She could not restrain herself from launching at him and clutching him tightly in a hug. His outfit was tattered and burnt around the edges and there was a large smear of ash across above his eyebrow, but he was alive and fine and she was grateful.

He hugged her back, as glad as she to find a companion alive and well and then he pushed her away. "Katara, you've gotta come quick," He stuttered to a stop and looked down.

"What?" She asked, worry adding an extra edge to her voice. "Aang? Aang what happened?"

"Sokka's been hurt." To Katara it seemed as though the world had fallen away from her and she was a child again clinging to her Gran-Gran and crying because her mother was gone and left her all alone with her stupid big brother.

She loved her brother no matter how much trouble they gave each other and she realized how much she depended on him. His instincts weren't _that _bad and he had saved them more than a few times, and while Aang and Toph and even Zuko and Iroh had become a part of her new family, Sokka was her brother and that was something special all of it's own.

"I have to help him." She said suddenly, and Aang had already extended the orange paper wings of his glider and was holding out his hand. She smiled and grabbed it without a second thought, but as soon as they were in the air she craned her neck this way and that trying to catch a last glimpse of Zuko and abate her fears as to how he faired in battle.

She saw only a flicker of blue and white before Aang swooped behind a tall watchtower and she lost sight of them completely.

"Was that Zuko?" Aang asked, trying to sound far less scared than he was and trying to calm down Katara who looked as though she might worry herself to death at any moment.

"Yes." She sounded distracted at best but Aang pressed on, flying as fast as he could manage to the smear of dark earth Toph had apparently managed to raise. He would find Ty Lee as soon as he dropped off Katara and bring her to this make-shift prison and then he would help Zuko with Azula, though he must be a powerful bender to manage white flames---

Aang nearly dropped he and Katara both into the curning ocean below them when his train of thought suddenly screeched to a halt and allowed him to realize what he'd just said.

Zuko could bend _white _fire. That made him a _powerful _bender and while Katara may have forgotten Aunt Wu's words had never been far from his thoughts. Not the words from _his _prediction. He knew he was going to fight a grand battle, and he knew the fate of the world would depend on him; Katara's prediction.

_I feel great romance for you. The man you're going to _marry.

_Tell me more!_

_I can see that he is a very powerful bender._

At the time Aang had been certain that meant _him _until he'd gotten his own prediction. She had, eventually, told him of love and marriage but she was just trying to placate him and he knew this, he well recalled what she'd said first..."I'm sorry, but I didn't see anything." Still the thought gave him hope. They did not meet many people for long in their travels, and even fewer could be called powerful. Just Aang and he had hoped so desperately for so long. He hadn't even worried when Zuko joined their group because Katara would barely sit on the same side of the camp fire as the prince, let alone stand beside him.

Furthermore Zuko hardly ever used his bending. Even when they fought it was more likely that he would use those strange swords of his.

Suddenly Aang wasn't so certain he _liked _Zuko traveling with them.

He pushed these thoughts aside, he could meditate on them later, but for now Katara wanted Sokka and _only _Sokka and he still had Ty Lee and Azula to worry about as well as a handful of faceless Fire Nation soldiers that were running around the town.

He landed a little harder than he meant too, still lost in thought no matter the promises he made to himself. Katara didn't seem to notice the hard landing, she was already scrambling to Sokka's side.

Toph stood off to the side, a silent sentinel protecting them—at least until Sokka was fine again, she had no doubts that Katara could heal him.

She had never seen the Waterbender heal, but she'd heard the stories from Sokka and Aang. So she stood as still as she could manage with her jaw clenched tight and her eyes furious. It was far easier to be mad at Sokka for being slow and stupid, than to blame herself for being useless in a city made of water and ice or worried that _maybe _Katara hadn't come in time...maybe she wasn't strong enough...maybe Sokka was hurt worse than anyone could imagine...

Katara didn't need to reach far for water, pulling it slowly from the melting ice and what was left of the canal now that Toph had made a small island. She held a bubble of water between her trembling hands and tried to still her breathing enough to focus.

She closed her eyes and felt that strange kind of power—like bending but not quiet the same—fill her. She could feel the wounds her poor brother was suffering from. She started with the injury to his stomach, it was the worst by far and she could feel the heat of his blood and his life running out as swiftly as water running off melting ice.

Mending it was slow for this was a power that was hard to practice—not that she wanted more opportunities—and the wound was far larger than anything she had ever faced before. She started like Yugoda tried to teach her, from the bottom of the wound and working up, focusing only on small bits at a time.

Yugoda had tried very hard to teach Katara well but the skill was rare and Yugoda herself had never even seen someone with the talent. Oh she taught the women of the tribe to heal it was true but it was not the same. Katara could heal a wound with her power alone, no need for anything but water and endless strength and concentration. Jeong Jeong had been right when he said it was a rare talent. Any bender could sooth a fever or reduce swelling, they could even use the water to find what was wrong with a person if they were strong enough.

But someone who needed no bandages, no salves to heal was a rare gift and Katara had been almost embarrassed at the time when the women began to tell her how rare a gift it was and _what power_ such a thing required.

The healing was slow and it drained her but soon the gaping wound that had so harmed her brother was sealed and the only reminder would be a long thin scar; pale against his tanned flesh and a constant reminder of how nearly she had come to losing her brother.

She had thought that the small cut on the back of his hand would be far easier to heal but she was so startled that it was not so. The tendons had been severed in places and the dagger had gone straight through even the bone.

Katara made a promise that if she ever faced Mai again she would make the girl pay for what Sokka had suffered a hundred fold.

She hadn't a complete and working knowledge of her power but she would not fail now that someone she cared so deeply for needed her. When Aang had faced the Unagi she hadn't known she could affect the water in his body, but she had tried at that and succeeded and she would succeed here as well.

She tried to reconnect the tendons first, feeling where they should be and feeling the _wrongness _of everything.

* * *

"Zuzu thinks he can beat me just because you managed to change the color of your flames?" Azula asked, sneering. But for once the baiting didn't work, it didn't serve to make Zuko anything more than determined to best her. He supposed—though he would never say a word—he had Toph to thank for that. She was cruel and pushed everyone but without malice. She did it because she could see better in them and it was her way of encouraging someone to do better. 

He wasn't about to admit that to anyone and he would still respond with a quick barb or jib when she dared to speak to him like that, but _now _he could be grateful.

"You have gotten a _little _better I _suppose_." She drawled. "And I admit it is _very _impressive. But you're _never_ going to be better than _me._" She amended with a harsh burst of laughter. Zuko growled low in his throat and launched at his sister. He could feel how much hotter his flames were now and did not dare use his swords as well for fear of melting them when he was already afraid of melting the ice under his feet.

Azula was startled by the directness of the attack and the fact that her taunting didn't distract him like it would when they were children. That was the third time in only a single fight he had managed to startle her and it was starting to get on her nerves.

She put enough distance between them and fired another bolt of lightning, putting in as much strength as she dared. Of course it didn't harm her brother in any of the many ways she would have liked, but he seemed to have learned to mimic Iroh's blasted defense. The only good thing was it seemed to take a long moment, long enough to distract him while she darted down an alley. She had to get back to the ship, regroup her men and return to the Capital City. Ozai would be mad that she returned empty handed but knowing that his incompetent son had managed what was said to be only legend might improve his disposition toward her.

* * *

**Shard: **So sorry. I know you were looking forward to a grand match-up but I do promise that Azula and Zuko WILL fight before the end of this story, it just wasn't to be in this chapter and hopefully, even if you're disappointed you'll understand WHY Azula wouldn't face him just now. I felt terrible about it but I just couldn't see her fighting like that when she was so disoriented and on edge. You know her, she likes the upper hand in all matters. 


	33. Never to be told

**I have nothing to say about this chapter, but if I were to get flooded with reviews--not that I know WHY you would do such a thing--I wouldn't mind it.**

** But that's _certainly _not a hint of what's to come or anything...**

**Anyway, this seems to be about the time updates will now be. But I'm still maintaining my Friday deadlines so that's all well and good. Though I'm considering: How would you all feel if I were to switch to a different day for updates? Is there a day you'd like very much? Would it throw off your life and bring the world to ruin? (:**

**In other news! HI! It seems like lately I've been getting a lot of new readers and I'm terribly glad to meet you all and just wanted to welcome you to my little corner of the world! **

* * *

**  
**

Katara did not fully comprehend her powers, it had been almost four generations since the last healer was born into the Northern Water Tribe, which left her with little more than legends to teach her. Her childhood spent isolated from other benders had taught her how to get a feel for her powers and figure things out on her own.

She didn't know precisely what she was doing, but healing her hand had come naturally, without her even being fully aware of it until the pain had faded and Jeong-Jeong had explained it to her. Once more her instincts took over and the water moved and controlled her rather than the other way around.

She would not recall much between starting to heal her brother and waking up just as dawn turned the black sky grey the next day, the woman looking after her was kind enough to tell her that she'd exhausted herself. Then she offered Katara some tea and warm soup. Once Katara had managed to finish both the nurse insisted that _Lady Master Katara_ rest.

Katara meant to ask about Sokka and her strange new title but the tea made her drowsier than she would have thought possible. Within moments Katara had dropped back into a deep sleep before any of her friends could be informed that she was yet awake.

The Water Tribe believed that those ill and injured needed rest and isolation most of all and so Sokka had been isolated in the Healer's tent. Katara—as a woman—had been relegated into the care of Yugoda but she and the other women of the tribe had taken a shine to the young girl and insisted she deserved all the treatement Sokka received. They isolated her from the men completely—Toph was allowed to visit.

Everyone's nerves were strained for so many reasons after the battle and Aang and Toph nearly escalated into a war of their own when Aang insisted she should go in and watch over Katara and report back to him when anything changed.

Toph might well have if Aang didn't insist like it was her duty and there was no other option.

Toph had elected to stay on the little island she'd made for herself and refused to move until _Snoozels and Sweetness stopped being so lazy and got up again._ Iroh pulled aside a seething Aang and explained that Toph was worried for them as much as Aang, she just showed it in her own way.

"I'm sure you are well aware that everyone worries in their own way. Leave Toph to her's and she'll leave you to yours." Iroh murmured gentle, sharing a small plate of tea cookies that he had made from an old family recipe. They were a bit dry and crumbled in your mouth—making a mess of crumbs much to Yugoda's dismay—but there was a bit of fruit paste in the middle that had Aang longing for a time before he was named the Avatar.

Thinking of Gyatso did nothing to alleviate his poor mood but it did make him smile sadly and leave Toph alone.

It did not help matters with Zuko.

Since he had realized how powerful the ex-prince was Aang had avoided him, lost in his own ever-darkening thoughts. At first Aang had tried to be happy. Zuko _had _had such trouble with his bending and he had such a difficult childhood because of it. Aang tried to be grateful and happy and even tried to congratulate the older boy. But whenever Aang opened his mouth he remembered Aunt Wu's words about a powerful bender.

A powerful bender that _wasn't _Aang.

A powerful bender with whom she would have a great romance with.

A powerful bender that she would marry.

Aang was furious at himself for believing in the prediction when he and Sokka had proved that they were—for the most part—false, and he was even more furious that he seemed to blame Zuko as much as Katara for all of it.

Still he kept himself distant from the prince as he tried to bring his feelings under control. He talked only to Iroh and even then it was in choppy sentences and grunts while he watched over the tent where the women were keeping Katara. To rest, they assured him, she did use an awful lot of power after all.

Zuko, for his part, kept to himself which was nothing new. He sat outside of the tent where Sokka was and watched—across the little plaza—the rooms Katara and her nurses occupied. His hands were bound tightly by the healers who had all been very grateful when one morning he stood up and left their care.

Before his flames were enough to superheat his swords but barely even that. When he had suddenly become able to bend white fire he had let it flood over his swords as always. He had never expected the bindings on the handles to ignite—they were supposed to be fireproof—and burn his hands.

On his second day of sentinel duty—Katara was awake but she tired so quickly and Sokka was still soaking up being pampered—Arnook came to Zuko's side.

He stood silent for a long moment and finally tilted his head in the barest imitation of a bow and then tossed Zuko a handful of supple leather strips. They were clearly not the hide of the rhinos that Zuko was used to, it was softer and slicker. Zuko wondered at it but nodded his thanks. It would be different than he was used to and he would have to practice a bit extra to adjust to the differences but it would do well for new bindings on the handles of his swords.

Sokka was eventually allowed visitors mostly to give the giggling girls who wanted a look at the hero reason to leave him be. With the Avatar there and the Earthbending girl who had called up the ocean floor none of them dared enter the room unless it was to get a peek at these legendary heroes and then run away tittering to themselves and bragging to the others about what they had seen.

Zuko kept himself at the door of Sokka's room so that he always had an eye trained on Katara's quarters. Mai and Ty Lee were in custody, and not talking a bit, but Azula had escaped. He didn't know what she would do, but he wouldn't put it past her to attack so soon afterward in hopes of catching them off guard.

With Azula you had to expect the impossible and prepare for the worst. It wouldn't matter anyway because she would best you eventually. She would just keep coming and coming and coming until she won.

He only left his post to sleep, the nights turned too cold even wrapped in furs and layers as he was. One night Aang caught up with him to accompany him to the small rooms they all shared.

"Aang." The name was still awkward on Zuko's tongue but he was trying and Aang understood that.

"So...white fire." It was the first the two of them had really taken the time to talk.

"So it would seem. I do not know if I will be able to manage it again or if it was..." He paused, considered his words and then sighed, "the heat of the moment." He decided at last and Aang laughed a little.

"I don't know if I should wish for you to manage it again or not if that's the case." Aang tried, though the brief silences between comments were filled to the brim with the unsaid.

"We cannot avoid at least one more fight, and I do not expect Azula to make it that easy on us." Aang nodded in agreement and fell silent. "Sokka is doing better." Zuko added, seeing that the Avatar wished to fill the heavy silence.

"Yeah, I would be happier if Katara would get better." Aang said with a huge smile that vanished the minute her name feel between them.

The heavy silence seemed to grow closer and the night seemed to turn colder. For a long while neither of them dared to speak.

"You like her don't you." Aang said softly, sounding closer to a hundred years old than ever before. It wasn't a question, but Zuko answered anyway.

"I respect her as a fighter. We are...close. It is strange to have _friends _still. But I think that is what we are." He spoke in earnest but Aang mistook it for cruel torture.

"Liar! You like her _admit it!" _Aang shouted, stopping and whirling on the taller boy.

"I am not a liar and you will not speak that way to me!" Zuko was more furious about the insult of being a liar than the implication that his feelings ran more deeply for the Waterbender than he cared to admit.

"You are! You like her and she likes you and _you stole her from me!" _He knew, later, how childish he sounded, but he was hurt. Katara had not dared to look away from Zuko even for her brother and Zuko guarded over her like some knight from a children's story. All the confusion and hurt and missed chances had twisted and become something dark until he couldn't hold it in a moment longer and lashed out, wanting to hurt, wanting to make them hurt like he hurt.

He was the Avatar and he was supposed to care for everyone equally when he could, but he was a child and even the sweetest of children can be selfish at times. They have not yet learned to sacrifice for the greater good.

"She is not a thing to be won Avatar!" Zuko spat, his fist balling in Aang's heavy winter coat before either realized he was moving. There was a moment of still, silence with nothing but the sound of lapping waves against a nearby jetty to fill the void. Neither dared to speak. Aang had not ever considered that Zuko really cared for Katara. Maybe he just saw a kind girl where he had known only power-hungry ladies of the Fire Nation. Aang had hoped to drive a wedge between them by tormenting Zuko about the feelings he was certain the prince would view as _weak._

But in that utterance, that _hiss, _of Aang's title they both came to a startling realization at the same time. Zuko cared for Katara, he cared for her very much and in a way very different from how Aang felt. Regardless of how Katara felt she had two powerful benders who cared very much for her.

Zuko released Aang as though he'd been burned and stumbled backwards. "I want nothing to do with that peasant." He shuddered, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than anything else. "Nothing. She's nothing to me and I want nothing to do with her." He shook his head, mumbled it once more to himself and turned on his heel. "Take her if you want her. Tell you you love her, best the Fire Lord, win the war and marry her. Live happily ever after." Whatever happy couples did he wanted nothing to do with it. He didn't want _that _and he didn't want _her. _So why had he been so angry when Aang spoke like that.

Why had it been the implication that she was a _prize _that drove him to shout?

Zuko did what he always did when he was confused, he sought out his Uncle. The only person whose feelings for him he never doubted.

* * *

**Sarah** : Wow! Four "love"s? Really? I'm touched! Though I don't think I've done much in the way of getting you OFF the edge of your seat but I'm glad you like it all the same and I'm not being intentionally cruel. :)

**AlinaAlone: **I'm glad you liked that. I thought it was rather fitting myself but it's always more meaningful to hear someone ELSE say it.

**Veranda: **Well I'm glad to hear that. No, I think what I'm doing can HARDLY be called fast. But I'm glad you like it that way.


	34. The Stag's Passion

**Okay: so I think the timeline of this chapter makes sense but I respond to you all anyway so if you have ANY questions feel free to ask. (Except if you ask what happens next:). I'm paranoid, I have faith in you that you'll get it but...well I worry anyway.  
**

** I was STUNNED, FLOORED even by the flood of reviews I got last chapter! I never thought you guys would like it as much as that! But I was thrilled to say the least.**

**We're getting close to breaking my "All-time Most Reviews" record so I thought--to honor the occasion--I would offer up another little contest thing. Whomever gets the magic review that puts me over the edge and gives me more reviews than ever before: You earn a Spoiler for upcoming scenes if you like, or a question of what may or may not happen. That sort of thing.**

**Which reminds me. Castle Anthrax you still have your spoiler. It won't...spoil (heh) but I wanted to remind you all the same in case you wanted to turn it in and use it.**

**I think I'm done with my rants, so onward and enjoy this chapter. A big revelation (or two) and something a lot of you might have been waiting for.**

* * *

**  
**

Iroh was showing Yugoda how to properly chop tea-leaves by hand to release more of the flavor, with the battle-sounds dying down outside he was looking for any way to calm her frayed nerves. He was certain everything was fine and he wanted to assure her of that as well. When Zuko came in for the first second Iroh was thrilled. Zuko was fine and that was a weight off his chest.

It didn't even take a heartbeat longer to know something was amiss. He knew Zuko's moods as well as he knew his own and there was an edge and a tremor of nerves that made Iroh worry. He could tell it wasn't one of the others. It was rare for Zuko to care for other people, but this was not the look of guilt he always affected when he saw someone hurt.

"Zuko." Iroh started, whiping his hands on a small towel and taking a step toward the younger man.

"Uncle." He swallowed hard, and then looked away. Any of his excuses died on his lips as Yugoda smiled at him.

"Go, it seems as though he has more than just news of the battle. I'll get news from Katara or one of the others." She shooed him out of her kitchen like he was a small child rather than a feared Fire Nation general.

Iroh smiled at her and nodded, thanking her quietly and following Zuko into the empty streets of the city. Iroh didn't have a coat as thick and heavy as Zuko's but he could easily heat himself. Iroh waited for Zuko to talk and when the younger man refused he started to worry.

"Zuko." He started, turning to eye the boy. His hands were clenched into fists and trembling at his sides. "Zuko what happened?" Iroh asked, worry giving his voice an uncharacteristic edge.

"I fought Azula." He murmured softly. Iroh gave him a quick once over.

"You look...uninjured."

"She ran away."

"You beat her. Zuko!" A smile broke across his face like dawn lightening the sky. "This is something to be proud of!"

"She refused to fight me."

"It is still a defeat!" Iroh insisted.

"I jumped between her and ka—the water bender." Iroh noticed that Zuko refused to say the girl's name but refused to comment. "I redirected her lighting."

"I knew you could do it. Though I had hoped you would never need to." Iroh said gently. Something was amiss and that it was taking Zuko this long to get to it was even more worrisome. "And this is what unbalanced her so that she would rather run than fight?"

"No." Zuko grunted, and Iroh wondered if he would need to drag the whole conversation out of him. When Zuko was small and refused to talk about something Iroh would usually trick him, tempt him or—in one rare occasion when Zuko was five—tickled it out of him.

"Oh." Iroh finally murmured. "Zuko, please," Iroh decided to be honest, "what happened? My old heart cannot take this stress." Zuko stared for a long moment and then seemed to acquiesce.

"I was so angry." He whispered so low that Iroh had to strain to hear him. "I was furious and that stupid Waterbender nearly got herself killed and when I looked...really looked at her all I could see...was all the horrible things she'd ever done to me. When we were children and she tortured me." He explained. "I did everything you taught me but I was so mad. The fire..._my fire..._it was white." Iroh made a soft noise that sounded like a strangled attempt at a gasp.

"I thought it was just a story." Zuko murmured, glancing down at the palms of his hands as though trying to see past the skin and to his fire within; just as Iroh had taught him to do ages and ages ago. "I thought it was just some stupid children's story."

"Zuko," Iroh sighed and furrowed his brow. "It _is_ just a legend. People used to think that is what happened to Sozin, that he gained the power of the White Flames and he was burned to death by the sheer heat of them. He did vanish just after the war started. I never thought it was true, I thought he had gotten killed and it was something to tell the troops." He explained. "I do not want to see that happen to you." He added at the end.

"It did not burn, it was not hot." Zuko promised, trying half-heartedly to allay Iroh's fears. "That part of the legend may be false."

"That is not what is bothering you?" Iroh was more surprised than worried at this point. He would think that the possibility of being a legend would be more important to him than anything. But something more seemed to be weighting on the young prince.

"How much do you know about Waterbending Healers?" He frowned. "Not like her," He motioned vaguely to Yugoda's home. "Like..."

"Like Katara?"

"Yes."

"Not much. No one understands their powers much. They are too rare. Much like white fire to a Firebender it is a skill often considered a legend. I do not think there are limits to the skill itself, only to the bender's own power."

Zuko remembered when he first learned of bending and the fire within him. How it came from his spirit and his lifeforce. How if he pushed too much power into the flames and did not watch himself he could use up all his strength. He could hurt himself.

Zuko hadn't paid attention, he was too fascinated with this new skill, this new _trick _of his.

He had used too much power the first time he practiced alone in the noonday sun and he had slept for days while his mother cried at his bedside and Iroh tried to comfort her; assuring her that all this worrying wouldn't be good for the baby and that Zuko would be fine.

You could lose your bending skill that way, or even die.

"Mai and Ty Lee are in captivity. Toph saw to that. Sokka is dying, Katara's going to try to heal him. Aang came to get her before Azula got away and when she ran I came to check on you. I was...worried." It took a great amount of effort for the stoic boy to admit that, even to his uncle. "I need to think." He grunted, leaving Iroh stunned in a small plaza. He did not follow Zuko, he knew the boy too well.

Zuko needed to be alone if he said that was the case and Iroh would give him the time he needed. Years together had taught Iroh that Zuko needed to sort through things, find out as much as he could on his own before he came for advice. He didn't like to be open with his feelings and it took him time to gain the strength he needed to try.

Iroh understood that and he was patient with him, but that did not stop him from worrying about what he'd say and what he might say in the future.

"Oh Ursa. If only you could see him now." Iroh murmured, swallowing his tears and glancing to the sky. He could just see the sun peeking through the clouds.

He did not see Zuko again for two days, the time was spent talking with Toph—who seemed distressed at Sokka's condition and even more distressed at her reaction to it—and training Aang who had fallen far behind in all of his bending lessons.

People whispered about Zuko's strange new power but none dared to talk about it to him. Katara, Iroh was certain, would have much to say on the subject, but even when she was awake no one would allow her visitors.

When Zuko finally did seek him out Katara had apparently woken up—she was doing so much better Yugoda assured him—and Sokka was being spoiled by his giggling nurses.

"I care about her." He said upon finding Iroh alone in the small apartment he had called home during his time in the Northern Water Tribe. There was no preamble and no explanation beyond those four words.

"I care about her." He said again, as though testing out the words on his tongue. Iroh smiled in that knowing way he had and motioned Zuko to sit.

"I take it you are speaking of Mistress Katara?" Iroh asked.

"Of course! Who else? I've spent the last two days watching the window of her room and waiting for her to wake up! Why would I do that? I saved her from Azula. I didn't care about fighting her or finally beating her, proving I was the best or anything! I just wanted her to be safe. That was all I cared about." He explained.

"I do not see what's wrong with that. It's perfectly okay to care about her, normal even!" Iroh seemed excited about this turn of events.

"What are you talking about? The Avatar cares about her! He's made that clear to everyone but her. And even if that weren't true, I want nothing to do with a _girl. _I am helping the Avatar win this war and dethrone my father and then who is to take his place? Azula? No I will have to rebuild the country. I can't be worrying about a _girl_ through all of that." Zuko exploded, smoke curling out of his nostrils in his anger.

"Zuko." Iroh's voice was still kind but it had taken on a hardness, there was no room for argument. "She is a Master Waterbender and a Master Healer. She's taught her self most of what she knows in regards to her power and she's _training _the Avatar. She's bested _you _in a fight. She wont be a burden." Zuko scoffed.

"Your mother wasn't a burden on your father. She was strong enough..." Iroh stopped. Zuko quieted and watched Iroh for a long moment. "You should know. I didn't tell you at the time because you were too young to understand and then as you got older it was just easier not to tell you. It was a mistake on my part and, and I need to make things right."

Zuko didn't dare speak.

"Ozai was ordered to kill you by Azulon. Father thought it would help him to understand my pain in regard to Lu Ten. Ursa petitioned to fight. It was an obscure law passed down before even Sozin's time but she was always very dedicated to her studies. She thought she would be able to help your father that way." Iroh coughed into his hand and it took him a long moment to regain his composure. "She agreed to dual him in a fight to the death, she would win your life if she won. And she did. Zuko, you would have been proud if you could see her fighting. She bested him even without the ability to end. She was like the wind with those blades." He seemed to get lost in his memories for a moment, his eyes staring somewhere faraway and in the past. "I never saw her equal." He murmured, and then he seemed to recall himself all at once.

"She did not mean to kill Azulon, but he was underhanded and old. He attacked her with her back turned and she reacted without thinking. He was dead before she even realized what she had done. She was condemned to immediate death for killing the Fire Lord, she would be hanged and then disposed of without ceremony, like a mere criminal." For a moment the feared general shone in Iroh's golden eyes and it sent a trill of fear through Zuko even.

"She had enough time to say goodbye to you and she begged me to care for you, and then I never saw her again. I was not even allowed to be there, with her, in her final moments. She was braver and far more stable than any man in her life and I see some of her spirit in your Katara. Would you court her, she would not be a burden on you." Iroh assured the young man.

But Zuko didn't hear any of that. He was thinking only of his mother, of her tearful goodbye and how he had been half-asleep and more angry that she'd woken him up. Had he known...

He didn't know what he would have done differently, but he wished that he had been given the chance. He felt the wound her abscense had caused tear open all over again as he sat there in strange surroundings of ice and fur and wood instead of stone and soot and metal.

His mother had killed, had been as strong a fighter as Azula.

She had always been so kind, so soft-spoken and meek. He did not doubt Iroh's story. The old man may have withheld the truth, but he never lied. _Not ever._

It was just hard to reconcile his memories of his mother with this new side of her. In that moment he had never wanted her back more, if only to hug her one last time and prove to her that he had become just as strong as she had been in life.

* * *

**Oh? Didn't I mention? Dead or no, Ursa has a large-ish role in my story. :)**

**Ace: **I can't change the story in any way from what it is already, everything's been planned and fits together as much as I can make it. Furthermore...I'm really rather terrible with fluff. I'm okay at grand confessions of love and I'm comfortable with a Happily Ever After but my fluff is always so awkward and horrible. I don't know why. But, seriously, I think you should be grateful I don't try my hand at it more often. Hopefully this was an alright birthday present, it is all I have to offer. Hope your day was happy all the same!

**AlinaAlone: **Awww you picked my absolute favorite line. Honestly I had that written around chapter five and I've been DYING to actually get to type it. So I'm just dying of happiness that you liked it enough to mention it!

**Shard: **Well not to spoil anything, but Aang is not yet ready to step aside in the fight for Katara's affections. But, as always, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.**  
**


	35. A True Choovihni

**Well, wow.**

**You guys just whipped right past my benchmark didn't you? For all of you and all the encouragement you've offered me during the course of this: Five pages:)**

**Furthermore, AzureAquarius got my magic review, but she and I agreed that maybe someone else should get it instead, so to be fair (or as fair as I can be) and given the circumstances I thought long and hard about what to do in terms of passing it on to someone else. So I figured we'll double the celebration for 300 reviews. So whomever gets THAT review (unless you're not signed in/you already know what happens.) will get the spoiler, if you want it.**

**Though if anyone can figure out a way for me to get into contact privately with people who aren't signed in I would love to be able to include them in this contest thing as well. **

**But wait! There's more! I was thinking maybe in honor of the 300th review I should do a Zutara cake...I love baking and I've wanted to experiment with decorating for a while now and this would be a grand excuse. Hopefully I won't muck it up horribly and I will be posting pictures (even if I can't share it with all of you...!) and even if my decorating skills prove lacking I'm certain my family will be grateful. Woe is me the day I let them find out I'm a good cook. Now they seem to want retribution for the years I ate their cooking as a child.**

* * *

Katara was well enough to receive visitors, and probably to even be released from the healers' wing but there was always a group of women ranging in age from newly married to hair as white as snow surrounding her. From what Toph told Sokka they scolded and praised in in equal parts for her bravery during the battle.

As soon as she'd woken up and managed to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time Sokka had enlisted Toph's help in sneaking into her rooms.

He'd sat up with her half the night while Toph pretended to be interested in what might have caused her blindness. She didn't mind it too terribly. The women were very kind and spoiled her in a way completely unlike what her parents had done. They asked her endless questions and offered her strange treats made of thick and heavy bread. When they did things for her it wasn't like the help that the others gave her—they just pitched in—but when they did everything for her it wasn't because they thought she was incapable, it was because they wanted to thank her and knew no other way. It was strange and she found herself smiling more than she would admit to Sokka.

Besides, having him owe her one was _far _more interesting.

Sokka and Katara talked in hushed voices through most of the night. At first Sokka had been furious and ready to berate her. She was not supposed to risk her _life _for him, he wouldn't allow it! But when he'd seen the smile on her face and felt her tremble as she hugged him he had recalled—of all things—Zuko's words.

He tried, slowly, to put himself in Katara's shoes and knew he would have done the same. And he would _not _want to hear from her that he shouldn't have. So he hugged her back and smiled into her hair—those weren't _tears_, her hair was a mess and it was getting in his eyes—and thanked her from the bottom of his heart.

"I was worried about you." He told her solemnly as he pulled away.

"You're my big brother." She sighed, reaching up to ruffle his hair. He'd not tied it back in a while and the edges were growing raggedy. On that note though, he had very much liked Bato's hair when they met him, and he was a_ proper man of the tribe_ now. "You _have _to worry about me." He laughed with her and took a seat on the edge of her bed.

"You have to get better soon." He said with a rueful laugh. "Aang is getting antsy and you're the only one who knows how to deal with him when he gets like that."

"Iroh is rather good at it."

"Oh!" Sokka gushed over-dramatically, "Iroh has been busy with Zuko, who's acting weird too."

"Do you know what's wrong with them?" Sokka and she shared a long look filled with a hundred things left unsaid. "Okay, okay, sorry I asked." She said in between laughing. "How are you and Toph doing?" She could have bit her traitorous tongue for a moment but while he was—she had to admit—very good with strategies, he wasn't often so perceptive when it came to the feelings of others and their motivations.

Either way he did not seem to notice her slip and launched into an explanation of how he was ready to go. "I don't like staying in one place so long, especially when Ozai knows where we are."

"I'm sorry." She looked down at her knees and toyed with the edge of the blanket.

"I didn't mean _that." _He corrected himself quickly. "And Toph won't leave that island she made for hardly anything. Though I can't blame her for that. She's ready to get back on land I think." There was a look in his eyes for just a moment that Katara was tempted to call wistful.

Not out loud of course.

"Did anyone tell you?" He asked, suddenly grasping up her hands and grinning with excitement.

"I saw the island, that's where Aang brought me to help you. It is very impressive though."

"No!" He shook his head. "About Zuko! Man I wish I could have seen that. Even _Azula _turned tail and ran. He's got white fire. Like in that fairy tale Iroh told us!" Sokka started launching into the story, apparently unaware that she had been there.

She had thought, when she regained consciousness, that it had been a dream. She had dreamed quite a bit while she was asleep. Mostly dreams about her mother. But she had just assumed that Zuko coming to her rescue and being even more powerful than his prodigy sister—Zuko did not tend to exaggerate and if he called her a prodigy Katara could not imagine how powerful Azula really was—with flames as white as the sun.

"I had heard something." She admitted softly, glancing up through her bangs. Unmarried women of the Water Tribe weren't meant to wear their hair loose in front of others—even brothers once they weren't children—but after all the battles she had been through since joining Aang it was the furthest thing from her mind.

"He's..." Sokka struggled to talk and Katara waited. It was like on Kyoshi when he asked for the help of the women fighters. He knew it was the right thing to do, but it was difficult with a stubborn streak as wide as the world was vast. "He's not that bad a guy." Katara smiled softly and Sokka wondered if she was aware of how much she looked like their mother when she did that.

"Awww, does Sokka have a new friend?" She teased, cracking into a smile before she could finish speaking. Sokka pouted for a moment before the both of them burst into laughter.

"I mean it Katara!" He said, still breathless from giggling. "I know I was really against him in the beginning and maybe it's just because Iroh is so nice...but he isn't that bad."

"Sokka I'm the one who brought him back into the group, _you're _the one who tried to beat him senseless. You don't need to tell me." She told him with that same smile that made her look so much like their mother it hurt a little.

"All I'm saying is that he's not _that _bad." Generally Sokka did say occasional things before he'd thought them through. But when he repeated it, it meant it was something to consider.

"What do you mean?" She asked, a bit taken aback but the strangely serious turn the conversation had taken.

"You..." Sokka searched for the words he wanted and a phrasing that would keep her from trying to fight him in her current condition. The nurses said that miraculously Katara had retained her bending powers, but that she should let them rest all the same. "You look at him."

"I..._look_ at him?"

"Well, yeah. Not like you look at me, or Toph or even Aang. It's _different._" He insisted, wishing he knew how to get his point across. He'd had such good intentions when he started to speak.

"Different?"

"All I'm saying is that...that he's not that bad, you know, just in case." Katara stared at him for a moment as he mind struggled to comprehend what her brother was saying to her. And then for a moment she could only manage the occasional indignant squawk.

"Are you implying that I like him?"

"You get the same look you did around Jet." Sokka regretted saying that the moment it was out of his mouth and wished he could take it back.

"You _are! _You're implying that I like Zuko." Her voice dropped so low that Sokka had to strain to hear it even though he was close enough to see the small scar on her chin from when they were children and she tripped, her chin cracking so hard against the ice that Sokka had been certain she'd killed herself. "I _don't._" She hissed at last, and Sokka didn't say anything. He just regarded her with a look she knew too well, that look of 'If you say so.'

"If you did, it wouldn't matter to me." He whispered, giving her another hug as he stood. "And now I have to leave, because if they catch me here..." he didn't finish his sentence, just shivered comically and shot her a soft look before darting away.

Katara _was _tired, but she lay awake until dawn replaying the conversation in her head over and over again.

Now she was better and she almost dreaded returning to normal life. Things had become strange suddenly and Katara was no longer sure how to be the voice of reason, when she wasn't even sure how to deal with the numerous problems in her own life.

By the time she extracted herself from the many goodbyes and assured the last of the women that they simply didn't have the space as they traveled to take all their gifts—no matter how nice it would be to have so many extra blankets, coats, dresses and ribbons—the sun was high in the sky and Appa was almost completely ready to go.

She saw Iroh first and he instantly enveloped her in a hug that smelled of soot and tea leaves. What was strange was that after all they had been through with Iroh and Zuko the smell of soot no longer instantly transported her to the day the Fire Nation raided her village and killed her mother.

Now, it was almost comforting with only a distant pang of regret.

"It is good to see you so well!" Iroh chuckled heartily, holding her at arm's length and inspecting her.

"The healers here were too kind to me." She said.

"They admire you." She blushed and didn't respond. "I must admit I like it here." Iroh plowed on, seeming to sense her discomfort. "But it will be nice to be back in warm weather. My joints seem to be getting older so much faster than the rest of me." Katara laughed with him this time and they walked together to find where Aang was feeding Appa the last of his breakfast and Sokka was arranging their supplies.

"I don't see why _I'm _the only one doing any work around here!"

"Twinkletoes is feeding Appa and I can't see. You really expect a poor little blind girl to help you?" Her voice took on that soft and quivering note it held when she spoke around her parents.

"But Sokka!" Iroh intervened, "You are doing such a fine job by yourself! Why would you need any help?" Preening at the praise Sokka finished quickly and without complaint. Katara smiled, partly at Sokka, but mostly because even if she were confused and lost in her own thoughts Iroh was there to help mellow everyone out too, and he was very good at it.

He'd dealt with Zuko after all.

She spun when she realized there was someone behind her and for the first time since he'd saved her she and Zuko stared at each other.

There was a moment where she didn't know what to do and then Zuko had stormed past her without a word and she was left staring after him. She didn't know whether she should be grateful for time to consider her conflicting emotions, or hurt that he didn't even ask how she was.

Katara finally settled on both and made sure to sit as far from him as possible when they took their seats in Appa's saddle.

She ended up between Iroh and some of the supplies that had overflowed from the small space at the very back of the saddle. That happened with so many extra bedrolls and food. Water was no problem so long as they were over the ocean. Katara and Aang could use their waterbending to remove the salt from the ocean water—and fish on occasion though that was far more difficult since the fish scattered at the sight of Appa.

"Toph was brilliant enough to make a prison of stone that neither Mai nor Ty Lee will be able to get out of. Azula escaped but having them in custody is a great victory against the Fire Nation." Iroh explained. Katara was always mildly jealous at how he could sound so serious and still so cheerful at the same time. "Once we reach Ba Sing Se we'll send some Earthbenders to fetch them and bring them into proper custody. There is no reason they should be left in the Northern Water Capital when so many of their fine warriors are gone."

He also explained that Arnook's men had found the date of the comet's return. They had a little more than two seasons to drum up troops to fight from the Earth Kingdom and then amass and prepare for battle. Iroh knew of a large area unused and without a proper patrol at the edge of the Fire Nation Capital. "The Great Salt Flats." He called them. "In Sozin's time traitors would be set loose in them to go mad with heat. With tents to protect against the sun and plenty of water we will have the advantage of surprise. Waterbenders and Earthbenders will greatly help to that end." He explained easily, pointing out the flats on the frayed map they had.

It was one of the rare times when the others were reminded that Iroh was a great general, not just a kindly old man brimming with advice.

* * *

**Erica -- **it's grand to meet a new reviewer and I'm glad you like it so much as that! Your reviews left me smiling and giggling for days so I'm really looking forward to hearing more from you. And now I'm really determined to stick to my Friday deadline too:)

**Shard -- **Don't tell anyone...but I'm really, really looking forward to that as well.

**AlinaAlone -- **I'm glad you liked the story about Ursa, it was really fun to come up with I have to admit!

**alphabeticalescape -- **I'm being completely honest when I say it's a huge honor you think my chapters are flowy and complex. It's certainly a quality I've been trying for. As for the Zutara...well, we'll just have to see. There is an awful lot of story left...


	36. Red, red morning sky

**I know this is horrifically short, but a lot of work kind of piled up at once--not that that's any real excuse--so things sort of got hairy and this got pushed to the back-burner.**

**Dastardly I know! But I gotta drag up my grades kicking and screaming and then get some impressive GRE scores if I'm gonna get into the Grad School I want.**

**I am going to try to write a lot this weekend and build up a buffer of chapters, which would be a brilliant idea, but I don't know how that will work. Then again I didn't know how weekly updates would work either and that's been awesome...ish.**

**Still, so sorry, but if you like I could post my essay on looking at Shakespeare's work based on Pope's analysis of criticism. Or the one I did on power struggles in gender-crossed relationships in 'Wuthering Heights'. I know, dull as dirt and a horrible excuse. But I promise that even if I don't get a buffer built up, the next chapter will be longer...and hopefully interesting.  
**

* * *

They had been forced to take shelter on a small island for three days when a storm hit. Katara and Sokka knew a little about the storms, they often got the tail end of the worst of them. Zuko and Iroh knew more having lived so long at sea. Hurricanes, they called them. Aang put up no resistance. He had slowly come to realize what everyone had tried to tell him: the past was passed and he could not change it. The Airbenders were still alive—in a manner of speaking—and all he could do was soldier on and win peace in the name of such people as Gyatso.

He still disliked storms and woke from nightmares filled with people screaming for help that would never come.

Toph was always grateful for an excuse to land.

They found a small island that, while large, was nothing more than rocks. Toph grumbled the entire time but she and Aang managed to flatten the ground and create a decent sized cave where they could wait out the worst of the storm.

Within hours they learned that a wet skybison smells as bad as rotten fish, and Iroh decided there was no better time to teach Aang how to heat things without actually lighting them on fire. Appa was dry soon enough though there was the lingering smell of burnt fur from when Aang got a little out of hand.

Iroh told some more of the campfire tales he knew, though now everyone listened with an air of trepidation, wondering if yet another would prove to be as true as the Legend of White Fire. Katara told a handful of Water Tribe stories that she could remember—Sokka often interjecting his own running commentary throughout—but most of the ones she could remember were about the Avatar.

Toph didn't know any stories, but she did share the tale of how she'd first discovered she could see with her bending, where she'd learned to bend _properly; "_Opposed to that sissy junk Master Yu taught," she snorted. She even explained how she'd become the Blind Bandit.

"You should have seen the look on Wei Fung's face when he got beat by a little blind girl." She laughed.

Even Zuko cracked a small smile over the story.

Katara tried to talk to him a few times, only to be shunned completely as though she hadn't spoken a word. She even tried just sitting near him in the confines of the cave; he got up and moved to the opposite side of the shelter.

She didn't agree with Sokka in the slightest about her supposed feelings toward the prince but she had to admit that it was very distressing to find him refusing to speak to her in the slightest. She tried to assure herself that she would be just as distressed if Aang or any of the others acted so coldly to her, but it was of little comfort. Because in the end he was still ignoring her and she still didn't know what she had done to make him angry.

"My mother insisted that I learn a variety of things. I might never be an Earthbender but I could be a scholar. She never agreed with the way my father did things, not entirely. She still felt that I was weak and to be protected, but she wanted a life for me at least. Even if it still wasn't the one I wanted." Toph laughed almost ruefully, although it was difficult to call anything she did rueful. "She hired all the best tutors and she was the one who finally convinced my father to allow me to learn even just the basics of Earthbending. My father would have had me locked away in a room doing nothing my entire life. I always hoped that at least she would understand my wanting more." Toph looked down at the ground and then away. When she started talking again she sounded far more upbeat than she had been before. "Anyway, I knew that there were animals that were blind and could still see, like badgermoles. I did a little research and grasped the basic concepts and then tried it for myself." She shrugged.

"I think it's amazing what you've managed to accomplish for yourself." Iroh beamed. Toph smiled in response. "And Katara as well. You trained yourself for a long while." Katara blushed at his praise and nodded.

"Only because there was no one else to teach me." She said with a shrug.

"Plenty of benders have teachers and do not come anywhere near your skills." Iroh assured them while outside the wind screamed it's fury. "But what drew you to fighting?" Iroh asked, turning his attention once more to Toph.

"A challenge." She announced. "I just wanted to test the limits of how well I could see at first. But then I was there, in the ring, and I _was winning._ I never expected I would win, or even come close to it. All my life I had everyone telling me how weak and helpless I was and suddenly I was beating men trained to battle and three times my size."

"Sokka was the same way." Katara announced with a grin that Iroh didn't miss. "The first time father took him to train to be a warrior he fell in love with the notion of protecting the weak and never stopped. He wanted to be a great warrior just like our father right away." Sokka scoffed.

"You've got it all wrong." Sokka said patting her on the shoulder and earning an annoyed look from his sister. "I was _such_ an amazing warrior they _begged _me to join up with them."

Toph and Iroh burst into laughter and Katara soon joined them, which only served to annoy Sokka further. Zuko frowned and turned back to the fire and ignored the people around him—which he had been doing ever since they left the Northern Water Tribe.

Aang, huddled against Appa, was torn between being sullen and over-excited.

Something was bothering him, but he was trying to get over it. Katara assumed it was the storm. She knew that even if he had come to terms with things—or come as close to it as possible—that he still remembered what he considered a betrayal whenever there was a storm like this. She knew there was nothing really she could do for him, but she still wished there were something she could do for him.

They were all grateful when the winds died down and the storm clouds finally parted to allow a sliver of blue sky. Even Appa and Momo were tired of being confined to such a small space and were grateful to get on the move once more.

Toph wasn't happy about being in the air again but she was happy about moving once more they were all worried now that there was a fixed amount of time they had to raise an entire army and defeat the Fire Lord in; failure had always been a possibility but now it seemed so much more real and looming on the horizon.

Heading quickly toward Ba Sing Se there was a feeling of accomplishment even if they didn't quite deserve it yet. It was a feeling of hope.

"Have you ever been to Ba Sing Se?" Katara asked, always desperate to find a way to take Toph's mind off her apparent fear of flying.

"No." Toph grunted. "My mother and father went a couple times on business but I was never allowed off the grounds of our home. Remember no one knew I was alive and they couldn't go letting me out to get hurt after all." She snorted and then groaned softly when Appa lurched against a gust of wind.

"I was here once, long ago." Iroh said smiling. "Of course," He laughed, "I was stuck on the outside without a way in. It will be nice to simply enter the town like another traveler."

It was another two days of traveling before they saw the great city of Ba Sing Se looming on the horizon. When they camped out Iroh told them stories about the grandeur of the city and what beauties lay beyond the walls.

They were almost excited about what lay ahead of them. Every step of the way had been a battle and this seemed almost easy. They just needed to convince the king of the city to help them gather troops at the Fire Nation boarders and then it was just a matter of winning the fight. As close as the end was and as terrifyingly possible as failure was they had hope and really believed that they would be able to accomplish their end long before the comet came and Sozin earned a chance to return to the World of the Living.

* * *

**Erica -- **I feel terrible that you got all caught up and then I go and disappoint you. But I feel a short chapter is better than a missed deadline. Still, don't hate me too much. :) But of course I replied! I love my reviewers and the least I can do is reply to them when they take the time to make me smile with such AMAZINGLY kind words. And no worries about the review, I've done that with chapters and so I think I can let you off the hook

As for the problems with your computer, I don't know, sorry. But maybe it is just your computer. Do you have another you could use, like at school? It might be some of your virus software or something. Totally unhelpful I know. :(

**Shard -- **Well, we'll deal with it more later but remember he just said it would be okay, which is totally different than being actually faced with them in a relationship, or marriage or love or anything. But I'm glad you like it a bit and can understand it. :)


	37. The Golden Apples

**Three...thousand...words.**

**This chapter just would not end and I gotta tell you that's an awesome, awesome feeling. I'm so excited about the next few chapters I cannot even begin to tell you.**

**This is one of those chapters that really makes me consider a different updating schedule to provide for double or triple length chapters.**

**But for now enjoy this chapter and I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.**

* * *

Generally when entering any town, especially one so large as Ba Sing Se, they preferred to hide Appa and try and keep a low profile. With Azula on the loose they had to be even more careful and so when they were still a day's walk from the city they landed and Aang made a small cave for him to hide in during the day and Katara and Toph made a small spring for him to drink from. There was a large expansive grass field nearby and so long as he waited until night to eat he would be well taken care of while they were gone. 

Aang was discontent just leaving the beast, especially when none of them could say just how long they would be gone. It took all of them in their own ways to convince Aang that it was the right thing to do.

"It is dangerous enough to fly around on him like we do, flying into an Earthbending city we _know_ the Fire Nation wants is just stupid." Sokka pointed out, rubbing a hand across Appa's snout. "He'll be fine and you've been the one telling us we should give him a rest."

"That's right; Aang, he's hauling so many more people than in the beginning the dear could use a rest." Katara said with a smile for him alone. He was sullen a moment longer and then Appa yawned and Aang nodded.

"You're right, he _could _use a break. But I am just worried about leaving him here, all alone." Aang murmured, from his shoulder Momo chittered indignantly and hopped onto Appa's head.

"See Momo and he will have a great time." Sokka joked, earning a small, hard apple to the head. Katara was always stunned at how wonderful Momo's aim was when Sokka's skull was involved. Aang laughed and at last agreed that it would be better to leave Appa where he was. He patted his pocket where the whistle was and promised that they would return for him as soon as they could. He was still throwing the occasional worried glance over his shoulder when they stopped at middy to have lunch.

They didn't reach the gates of Ba Sing Se until the early evening when the sky was the color of flames with the setting sun.

The city itself was hidden completely by walls that stretched up almost endlessly into the sky. Though Iroh had been gone eight years he recalled well those walls and looked upon them with something oddly akin to fondness.

A large, wide, and flat road lead the winding path up to what was considered the gate of the grand city. Of course, being an Earthbender city there wasn't actually a gate at all, merely smooth stretches of unbroken stone and two guards standing by to clear the way for travelers.

"Halt." One of the guards shouted as they drew close enough to make out the peevish look he seemed to constantly wear on his face. "Who goes?" It was hardly a question on his lips. He didn't seem to care in the slightest, he was only following orders that had long since become ingrained into his being and were second nature now.

"Nothing more than weary travelers in need of a night at an Inn and a hot meal." Iroh offered with a wide smile. They knew they could not tell just anyone who they really were. It was a danger enough not to wear anything in the way of a disguise. The blue Water Tribe robes that they all wore since Azula had stolen what little supplies they had hid everyone but Sokka and Katara. All they could do this far from any smaller villages, was to hope that no one who might turn them in would recognize them.

It was not the best plan they had ever had but it seemed to be all they could do, especially with so little time to come up with a better plan.

"Papers." The guard grunted, holding out one hand expectantly. The other had not yet moved and seemed intent on staying as still as a statue throughout the whole conversation.

"Papers? I do think I have been away too long." Iroh maintained that air of geniality but Zuko and even the others could tell he was prepared for things to get bad. The guarded huffed dramatically and tilted back the wide-brimmed hat he wore.

"Look old man, you need papers to get into Ba Sing Se now. No unauthorized visitors, ever since that general from the Fire Nation nearly broke through the wall new security measures had to be put into place." He seemed to lose a little of that annoyed nature and was almost—not quite—kind as he explained the way of things.

Anyone looking to get into the city needed papers, either a Mercantile Pass or a Residency Permit. There was no longer such a thing as a wayward traveler or someone looking to take in the sights of the famed City of Walls. Iroh sighed, his smile never wavering for a single moment, not even after the small sermon on how evil the famed Fire Nation General Iroh was. Zuko's fists clenched and ignoring how cold he had been to her Katara slipped forward and touched his arm lightly.

She could not come out and say anything but it startled him so and he tried to relax while Iroh continued speaking with the guard.

"Well, how do we get papers if we cannot get inside?" Iroh asked, sounding perfectly curious and harmless.

"You apply for one here. Thirty silver pieces for a day pass for merchants. Fifty to apply for residency in the Agriculture district, a gold piece for the Processing District and twenty gold pieces for the Upper Class District." He explained, ignoring—or simply used to—the looks of sheer astonishment most of them wore.

"Should your application be accepted, depending on what you apply for, another fee will see you settled." He explained softly. "The waiting lists are very long." His voice dropped to a hushed whisper as he leaned forward. "Some Clerks will move papers up if someone bribes them." He straightened and his voice returned to normal. "That is _frowned upon _though." He didn't need to wink, Iroh understood well what the man was suggesting.

"There's a Shanty Town just around the bend there," The guard pointed with his spear, "Where people on the list have been living waiting to hear the news." He explained. "I'm sure they've room for you." Iroh nodded, his smile still stretching from ear to ear even if his eyes had gone dark.

"We will look into it." Iroh promised, leading the group away.

"How can they do that? How can they charge people for entrance into a city?" Sokka asked as soon as they were out of ear-shot.

"Calm down Sokka." Aang said with as wicked a grin as he may ever get. Sokka resisted the urge to duck since usually that grin was a precursor to a prank directed at him. "There's more than one way into an Earth Kingdom city. Especially when we happen to have Earthbenders." He chuckled and Toph, already anticipating the chance to use her skills for more than just practice, cracked her knuckles.

"Is that really such a good idea?" Katara asked hesitantly.

"We don't have the time or the money to wait for them to let us in." Sokka pointed out quickly. "Besides until we can make certain that Firebenders haven't gotten in the city we can't let them know about Aang." Katara nodded in agreement, but she could not deny that there was still a deep sense of fear about the whole plan.

Generally whenever they did something like this without thinking it went awry. They had escaped Omashu using the Pentapus, but the young prince had sneaked out along with them. She agreed to go along with it but with a sense of trepidation twisting her stomach into a ball of nervous knots.

They waited until nightfall and walked around the wall until they found a place where no one could see them; Toph assured them that on the other side there was a large field filled with Chicken-Sheep but no people.

Together she and Aang opened a small hole in the wall. Either Toph or Aang could have done it alone, but Aang lacked the control over his powers that Toph had and she lacked Aang's subtle touch and in the end it was—as usual—Iroh who suggested that they work together.

Other than startling a heard of Chicken-Sheep their entrance into Ba Sing Se went unnoticed. This put Sokka, Toph, and even Aang into a good mood. Zuko was as quiet and sullen as he had been in the last week since they had left the Water Tribe city, but Iroh seemed to share Katara's sense of foreboding.

They cut through the field—Aang gently blew the curious animals back when they drew too close—and found a hard-packed dirt road soon enough. "Where are we even going?" Katara asked in a hushed voice as they walked along, she felt far too exposed under the brilliant light of the full moon. It felt to her as bright as day and she was certain that the whole of Ba Sing Se would be able to see them.

"To the palace, to see the king!" Sokka said, as though that much should have been obvious to her.

"Yes, thank you, I _meant," _She ground out, "that we don't know _where _the place is."

"It will most likely be in the center of the city." Iroh suggested softly. Aang smiled, nodded and they head off that way, leaving Katara slung between Iroh—who seemed unwilling to voice his concerns—and Zuko who seemed unwilling to pay any attention to her at all.

Though the moon was bright that night it did not seem to be strong enough to light up the dark homes scattered around the flat farmland. They seemed like massive, shadowy beasts laying in wait and prepared to pounce upon their prey when the time was right.

Rare homes would have a window or two lit by a weak candle revealing heavy wooden walls held up by the same kind of logs that men of the Water Tribe often carved canoe out of. It was an old practice almost unheard of now that trade between the four nations was almost completely suspended but those that had not been sunk in the wars were as sturdy as the day they were made.

It seemed odd to the group that Earth Kingdom homes would be made of wood, but not everyone was a Bender. Toph explained that there were those Benders who specialized in building homes and often times someone unexperienced would be unable to make a sturdy home. Often times in the smaller towns they would make their homes out of wood because it was easier and even Non-Benders could help.

None of them could understand why a town so large as Ba Sing Se would not have more than enough skilled Benders to build the homes, but it was Iroh who suggested—reminding them of the prices to move to the city—that maybe they could not afford the luxury.

The moon had already started its decent though sky was still dark when they came to a wide stone bridge. A single guard patrolled the bridge and he spotted them before they could think of a way to deal with him. He approached them quickly, holding up a small, guttering lantern. "Late night?" He asked. Before any of them could answer he continued. "I'll need to see your papers if you want to head into the Processing District."

"No, no, we're just talking a moonlit walk by the river. Don't mind us." Iroh announced, turning hard and starting to follow the river.

"No, no I'm going to need to see your papers." The guard suggested, behind him two more crossed the bridge, drawn by their soft voices. On a night as still and quiet as this, without even the bugs chirruping, their conversation was almost a commotion.

"I seem to have left them back at our home, if you'll just let us leave I'll return shortly with them." Iroh tried, taking a step back that Zuko recognized as the first position of an advanced Firebending form. Aang, who had by this time already moved on to advanced forms noticed this as well and jumped over the old man to stand between him and the guards.

"I am the Avatar and we need to speak to your king." He said, his voice firm and sure. The guards looked between each other and one whispered to another; Toph strained to make it out but it was too quiet for even her.

"Shang Guan Yi will take you to the palace." The first guard who had approached them announced, lowering his lantern and quickly returning to his position at the bridge. Of the two new guards the shorter approached them and silently motioned for them to follow.

"This is not a good idea." Zuko hissed under his breath. Katara glanced at him, certain he wasn't speaking to her, and answered:

"What else could we do? Fight?" He didn't turn to look at her, but inspected her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't say a word and Katara was startled at how angry that made her. She huffed and stomped forward to walk beside Toph who wore a smirk but at least had the decency not to say anything.

The buildings in the Processing district were far closer together and greater in number; without a need for vast expanses of farmland it was to be expected. It also made traveling more difficult with just the small lantern of the guard's and the moon to see by. The guard knew these streets well it seemed and Toph had an apparent advantage over the others.

Iroh tried to talk about the city, or the night, or anything to break up the oppressive silence but the guard just quieted him at every attempt until he finally gave up.

Another bridge brought them into a third District, and the guard consented enough to tell them that this was the Upper Class District. The buildings were larger and surrounded by yards framed by gates while the streets themselves were paved now and wider. A group of guards waved them on across the bridge and their escort waved back, though there was no kindness in the gesture.

This district was far smaller than the other two and soon they were at a solid stone wall watched over by at least a dozen armed soldiers. "This is the palace." He explained. "And as far as I take you," this last part was not said without a sneer of distaste. He whirled on the gathered guards. "Caught them without papers." He started, and in the half light of the lanterns his wicked grin looked almost demonic. "This one says he's the Avatar." A ripple of quiet chatter flooded over the gathered people until one stepped forward, Iroh knew by the uniform he was a Captain rather than a mere soldier, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I'll take them from here on." He grunted, and behind him four soldiers rushed to open the wall so that they could pass through. "Come along." The Captain demanded.

The palace was well light by hundreds of paper lanterns and unlike in the town people still milled about, dressed in the finest silks and talking quietly with peers as they toured well-manicured gardens.

The Captain was unimpressed and lead them up a wide stairway and into what seemed to be a grand throne room. At the farthest end of the room, on a raised dais, sat what had to be the King of Ba Sing Se wrapped in green silk and looking bored.

"Why, may I ask, was I woken from bed so crudely as this at such a horrendous hour Captain Wu?" He asked, his voice high and reedy.

"This _boy_ claims to be the Avatar." Captain Wu announced, dropping to his knees in a bow and touching his forehead to the floor. When he looked up the king dismissed him with a wave of his hand and stood, approaching the group.

"Avatar Aang." He said with a smile when the room was empty but for a few servants putting out the lamps as dawn lightened the sky. He grabbed one of Aang's hands in both of his, inspecting the tattoo for a moment and then letting it drop. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Your Highness," Aang started, taking a half-step forward. The king cut him off quickly.

"How do you like my fair city? It's completely cut off from the war, and so long as I continue to pay a percentage of our crops or offer shipments of money to Fire Lord Ozai he leaves us be." Everyone stiffened visibly. "By selling space within these walls the people by an ease of mind and I buy freedom for my people. I think that presenting the Lord with the Avatar he seeks so desperately...and other wanted criminals...will allow my people to keep a much needed excess for this winter." He smiled, "don't you?" Zuko was the first to action, drawing his swords with a hiss that filled the still room.

It was—in the end—pointless. Guards spilled out of the shadowy hallways, and it was Iroh who told the others, all ready for battle, to go quietly. There were too many to fight, too many to even consider fighting.

"You have a brilliant mind General Iroh, I can see why you almost broke through my father's walls. Sadly, I am a far better monarch than even he." The king laughed in that high-pitched way he had. "Take them away and show them the new jail cells I had made. Captain Iroh should enjoy them immensely."

His laughter followed them down the winding halls and dark stairways.

* * *

**Erica -- **I am so glad you finally got an account working! As for missing a deadline, I know it's no big deal, but I like to take this as seriously as I can (and I'm just weird like that ) but as for Toph's sight, I LOVE playing with that and so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. 

**Alphabeticalescape -- **I am always dispointed when couples come together too easily, so I'm glad to hear that you like that as well. They each have quite a bit to deal with in their lives before they're ready for a relationship that might work. :) We didn't get to see much of Ba Sing Se with it being night but you will get a much better image of it later...hopefully. I have an image of the city in my head to be certain and I hope to get to use it. I have to say, though, that it's a huge compliment to hear you think so highly of my writing and I'm insanely proud of myself now. Your review has certainly earned a place on my Wall of Fame for reviews.

**Shard -- **You will see more about that eventually, but thanks much for having faith in me even if you don't yet understand it. :) but then again you always are too kind to me.

**AlinaAlone#1 -- **We're going to see a lot more of Toph (aside from Iroh she's my favorite character so they probably get a little bit of special attention in my story...) in upcoming chapters. As for Zuko, well yeah, but he'll get better.


	38. StarCrossed

**I have to say this chapter was ridiculously fun to write. It just kept flowing! Crazy. Anyway, do hope you enjoy and this one is dedicated to Sujika who is by far and away one of the kindest, most awesomest reviewers ever. Oh yeah. "Awesomest"! I paid more attention to the starts of each paragraph so I think I've got that down, but do keep an eye on it in the future!**

* * *

There was, apparently, a standing set of unspoken rules widely known to the jailers in the prison beneath the Ba Sing Se palace.

The first was that it was more than acceptable to laugh at the predicaments of those you were jailing. It seemed like the only thing they derived any joy from at all and several of the guards seemed to have it down to an art form.

"'S a wonder that Ozai's got a price on the Avatar's head. A skinny little kid traveling with a cripple, a couple of inbred Waterbenders and a spoiled prince who's never done a day's work in his life." The small entourage of guards chortled. "Only one worth his salt is little more'n'a crazy old codger."

Even Zuko managed to keep his mouth shut as they were ushered through dark hallways, all of them seethed at the harsh words. Katara was startled to see that it was Aang who seemed the most affected, even Toph seemed to be doing a better job of ignoring the cruel jibes.

The second rule was that there were only allowed two people to each cell. Iroh could see the sense behind this instantly even if the others did not figure it out until later—or pay any mind to it at all. Two was enough to grant false hope and nowhere near enough to actually effect an escape.

The third rule seemed to be a sub-set of the second in that all the happenings in the prison seemed to be a game to them to make the match-ups amusing to the guards. Toph and Sokka were tossed together, both considered inferior for different reasons. There was—after all—little use in a blind bender, and Sokka, as a non-bender was even less use.

Zuko and Aang were in the next. The guards took bets on why the famed Fire Nation prince was traveling with the Avatar and on which might survive should a fight break out. When Katara could no longer hear their cruel chatter it seemed as though the bets leaned in favor of Aang. _He is the Avatar._ She was oddly relieved that word of Zuko's white fire didn't seem to have reached this far.

Katara and Iroh were the only two left and were thrust into the farthest cell from the entrance to the prison.

The _supposed _special cells the King had spoken of were made entirely of metal and after a moment of curiosity it struck Katara that an Earthbender would be helpless. This might have been true, but Iroh saw another possibility. The rusted copper would retain heat, and should a Firebender grow too wild he would cook himself and his companions before he escaped.

Sokka paced the room, trying every wall and finally jiggling the door.

"Stoppit!" Toph shouted at long last, her voice sounding harsh with a note of desperation. It was only then that Sokka realized she was standing in the center of the room, refusing to move since she could not see. "You're not doing any good!" For good measure she snarled out a few choice insults that did manage to surprise Sokka. He wondered if she learned them in the fights for he could not imagine where else.

He drew closer to her, wondering if there was any help he could offer that she would not turn away. His fingers brushed feather-soft against her shoulder and she started as though he'd burned her and shot away from him—not before landing a hard blow to the side of his head. He stumbled back and she looked around, wildly, heaving.

"Toph," He started, gently, trying to acquire that tone Katara always used to sooth even the worst fights.

"Leave me alone!" She hissed darkly, and even knowing her so well as he liked to think he did, Sokka took a step backward.

She sat hard in the corner as far away from Sokka as she could manage and Sokka could only lean against the far wall and watch her, without the slightest clue as to what he was supposed to do for her. It seemed like, more and more, everything that he did bothered her. She used to be the one he could turn to, the one who always made sense. Aang got odd all the time for more reasons than just the Avatar State. Katara usually fixed him with soft words and smiles. Katara got off sometimes but she had always been so good at straightening herself out, even when they were kids she was like that.

Now that Zuko and Iroh were here...well Zuko was _always _weird and Iroh was always fixing things.

Toph was generally okay, he had been grateful that he and she were locked up together; together, he had been certain, they could find a way out.

But now she was being so edgy and all he could do was stare at the back of her head and wonder what was the matter with her.

Girls were weird. That was all there was to it.

The next cell down Aang and Zuko weren't handling things any better. Aang had flown against the door the minute it shut, trying at first to blast it open with a large enough gust of air. All he managed to do was blow himself and Zuko backward with the force of it.

Zuko felt the air driven violently from his lungs and he grabbed Aang's arm before the boy could try again. It took him a moment more to catch enough breath to talk and even then it ached a bit more than he wanted to admit.

"At this rate you will kill us before you will free us." He pointed out. Even through Aang's heavy Water Tribe shirt he could feel the Airbender getting hot as he prepared to make an attempt at firebending.

"We have to get out of here somehow! We have to fight the Fire--" He stuttered to a hault and then made a visible effort to change what he had been about to say, "Nation."

"And if you kill the both of us the war will continue until the next Avatar figures out who they are and learns to bend all over again. The comet will have come, Sozin will be free and the world will have already been doomed." Zuko pointed out, trying to be as rational even though he was furious.

His faith was in Aang, for more reasons than just the fact the kid was the Avatar. But he had the terrible habit of having a one-track mind at times, and that was something that Zuko knew more about than he cared to admit. He could not fault Aang for that but he still did not like it and he didn't want to be locked in a cell with someone willing to risk both their lives to escape.

"We have to do something." Aang insisted.

"Then _think _of something to do. Don't just try anything. Wait...and think."

The words were so close to what Bumi had told him long ago—had it only been a handful of seasons?--that he paused for a moment.

"Alright." He nodded, sitting down slowly. Zuko sat opposite him and for a long moment they remained in silence. "There has to be a way out of here." Aang insisted finally.

"Have you thought of anything?" Zuko asked, trying not to let his annoyance shine through.

"Well, this is metal right? So couldn't we just burn our way through the door?" Aang asked, leaping up among small eddies of wind.

"Aang..." If either were surprised to hear Zuko using Aang's name over his title again they didn't mention it. "This is copper." The young boy didn't seem to understand the connection. Zuko stood and walked over to the wall where Aang stood.

"It's something the other nations do. They make their prisons of metals that conduct heat. When a Fire Nation bender tries to melt or burn his way out, he cooks himself." Zuko heated the spot on the wall just a little, repeating the lesson just as Lu Ten had taught it to him so long ago. He pulled his hand away and motioned for Aang to touch the spot. He pulled his hand away with a hiss of pain, realizing how quickly it had heated up.

Once his mind was on the topic he quickly recalled how Katara had wanted to buy a set of pots from a small Earth Kingdom merchant made of shinning copper. She had praised how quickly she would be able to cook. He had gotten distracted quickly enough.

Thinking of Katara reminded him of Zuko's outburst, and how distant he'd kept himself from her since then.

"Why won't you talk to Katara anymore? You won't even look at her." Aang asked, a sour taste in his mouth to match the twisting of his stomach. He was jealous and he hated himself for it. He was supposed to be the Avatar. He was _supposed _to distance himself from such things. But no matter what he did he cared for Katara and she remained ignorant of his feelings. Now Zuko was in the picture and he felt like he would lose her.

"I want nothing to do with that peasant." Zuko spat. "She's yours. What intrest have I in her?"

"That's not true. I know you like her." Aang had to struggle to keep his voice calm and bury away all the anger boiling inside him. He steadied his breathing and tried to clear his mind like the monks had always taught him to do.

"My feelings are irrelevant. You care for her. She is yours. I will fight beside her and no more."

"You are the one who said she isn't a thing." Aang said softly, still ashamed he'd considered Katara a prize in some contest.

"She is not. But if she hates me I am not of consequence to whatever is between you and she." Zuko hissed. He could not ignore the pain he saw in those blue eyes every time he turned away. But he would not be called a thief. He could not change how he felt for her, but he could ensure that she never returned the sentiment.

"Oh." Aang didn't know what else to say and silence settled between them, screaming of a thousand things left unsaid.

* * *

Katara was sitting on the floor with her knees drown up to her chest. Iroh was across from her with his legs folded under him and a pensive look on his face.

"Something seems to be troubling you Katara." He started softly. She looked up at him with eyebrows raised and then returned to staring despondently at the floor.

"I don't know what to do." She said finally. "We're trapped here and I don't even know what to do about it. There has to be some way out here!" She stood suddenly and began to pace, reminding Iroh of a trapped Armadillo Lion he'd once seen at a zoo, caged and miserable for it.

"We will find a way out of here. You simply need to calm down and consider all the factors. But you cannot focus with things troubling you." She stopped to stair, ready to say something about their current predicament and he cut her off. "I do not mean about our situation as it is now. Something has been bothering you since we left the North Pole." He smiled in that paternal way he had and she collapsed across from him once more.

She was silent so long that Iroh wasn't certain she would tell him what was bothering her; even if he had a very good idea of the cause.

"How can he be _so kind _sometimes and _so cold _at others? Did I do something wrong? Is he angry with me? And how can I apologise if he won't tell me anything or even look at me?!" She finally exploded, and Iroh had to repress a chuckle. She was very sensible and she was a brilliant warrior, but at heart she was also a young woman. While the warrior could face death with a brave face the woman seemed to turn in fear from the possibility of love. He had seen _that _before and he had to fend of nostalgia for a long moment. Recalling _his _lost love would be of little help to this situation.

"And to whom are you referring?" He asked coyly, Katara made a face and looked away before answering in a hushed voice:

"You know I meant Zuko."

"Yes, but you needed to admit it to yourself." Katara was certain it made her all the more furious that she would have agreed with that if it were directed at anyone beside herself. "As for his actions. You would have to ask him to be certain. I have known him all my life but he does, on occasion, still surprise me. However you have to understand something about him. My nephew has not had the best of lives despite being a prince. Early on he learned the lamentable lesson that more often than not people he dared to trust, to care about, would turn around and betray him. I think, though I cannot say for certain, that he tries to push away those he cares about rather than wait for them to hurt him."

It was not Iroh's place to point out Zuko's feelings for the Waterbender, nor was it his place to point out Aang's feelings for her. The both of them had to reveal that themselves. But he could help her to understand Zuko a little more and allow her to draw her own conclusions about the young man's actions.

He was certain of one thing.

Zuko was aware of Aang's feelings—Katara seemed the only one in the dark about them—and he was pulling away to give Aang the chance. Pulling away and pushing Katara away because he'd rather see hate in her eyes than a chance he dared not take. Zuko claimed to have lost his honor four years ago when Ozai banished him, but Iroh felt the prince had more honor now than ever before.

"He's driving me crazy." Katara admitted softly. "Sometimes it's almost like he---" She glanced at Iroh and shut her mouth with a soft click of her teeth. "And then he's twice as cold as ever before. I want to see the good in him, the good I know is in there. But he's so cruel sometimes. And now..." She smiled ruefully, "Now it's of no matter because he won't even look at me." She snorted as though it were something to laugh about, but Iroh saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes.

"Zuko can be difficult to understand, but once he cares for someone—even an old man like me—he will protect them with his life. He trusts you, all of you and that is a rare thing for him. He is adjusting to all of you as much as you to him. Sometimes he won't know how to act, or will act in a way you cannot understand. But it is part of learning each other and forming relationships." Iroh explained, though the words sounded hollow and trite even to his ears.

"When I was young, and in love, it was not ease." He started, swallowing the pain of the memories. "I was certain, when I was younger than Zuko is now, that we couldn't be together. It is the custom that our fathers' propose on our behalf and Azulon was not the type to take anyone's feelings into account. So I tried to push her away. I thought it would be easier to have her hate me than to see her suffer. I fancied us Star-crossed lovers. Then again people so young as that do not know everything, no matter what they think. Eventually I learned better and made better decisions and I was lucky enough that she forgave my stupidity." Iroh explained.

* * *

**Inkweaver2 (Erica) - ** I sent you a review-reply before I noticed on your profile that you weren't using your actual email, so I though I would repeat the sentiments here as close as I can manage. I am glad you like my writing even if you dislike the king so much, though I hope your opinion if him will change, he's not a bad guy, he's just trying to protect his people the only way he knows how. As for Jet, though it would be interesting this whole story is planned out and there isn't room for him except maybe in passing. Hopefully that won't be too disappointing.

**AlinaAlone#1 -- **I'm glad you like it so much and thrilled to hear I still have you hooked. This is so much longer than I originally thought it would be, but there's still more story to be told and I do often worry about boring people. It makes me so happy to hear you still enjoy it:)

**Shard -- **I'm so glad you liked it, and I have never considered myself good at that subtle foreboding tone so I'm thrilled to hear I managed it (And totally on purpose!).


	39. Concordia Discord

**This one took a bit, but it hopefully clears up a few points that still had people confused at the close of the last chapter. There are so many people who have reviewed lately I'm quite floored! You all are far too kind to me, I think. But I adore it all the same and I'm glad you all seem to think so highly of my story.**

** The reviews were so many I am almost worried about how much space the replies take...But, since it's a longer chapter again hopefully it balances out. :)**

* * *

Aang had hardly moved since he discovered that bending was not going to get him out of the cell any faster. He'd simply sat down in the corner and begun to meditate. Zuko was surprised to say the least. He knew Aang was a monk and he knew that monks meditated but it was so similar to how Firebenders meditated. 

Of course with a proper meditation you would focus on a row of candles, enlarging and shrinking the flames in time with your breathing, a lesson in controlling the most unpredictable element. With little else to do he watched Aang. It seemed as though he'd jumped from one impossible task to another.

He could still remember being fourteen and still bandaged from the Agni Kai—Would Katara have been able to heal him?—when his father passed down his punishment. Because the scarring had been punishment for speaking out against Ozai, this would be punishment for dishonoring him by losing so public a battle and shaming the family.

His punishment had been to find the Avatar, a task that everyone had thought impossible. After all, even the youngest child knew that the Avatar had died over a hundred years before.

Well, he had found the Avatar. He'd captured him as well, even if he had let the boy go soon after. Now he seemed to have an equally distasteful task ahead of him to restore, or at least maintain, his honor.

It was clear to everyone aside from Katara—and possibly her idiot brother—that Aang had feelings for her. No thanks to Aang who seemed to be no closer to admitting his feelings than he was to mastering all four elements. Zuko had agreed to help the Avatar and to protect him; that meant from himself as well. Zuko could not deny—no matter how much he wished to—that he cared deeply for Katara, but he could not do that to the Avatar. He would bury these traitorous feelings and having her hate him would make that all the easier. Then Aang could take as long as he wished to pursue her.

"Why are you going to just give her up if you like her?" Aang asked, startling Zuko out of the reviere he'd slipped into without realizing. Aang repeated the question without forcing Zuko to ask.

"Why should I want her? She's nothing but a bossy peasant who doesn't even follow her own country's traditions." Aang narrowed his eyes at that and restrained himself from speaking at first. He had gained no divine knowledge—or even helpful—during his meditations but he had realized that pointing out Zuko's faults to him would be no way to get answers. It was depressing, though, that for every inch Aang gained toward earning Zuko's trust; something would inevitably happen to make him lose a mile and Zuko's defenses would be thrown back up in the blink of an eye.

"You saved her." Aang whispered, surprised by how painful the memory was. _He _had not been there for Katara...He knew, of course, that she could protect herself but she had neededhelp and he hadn't been there. If Zuko had not intervened Katara would have been hurt so much worse than she was.

He supposed he couldn't blame her for risking her life to save Sokka.

If Zuko had not been there, with his white fire Katara might have died. That thought alone chilled Aang to his very core and made him realize how far he was from being so well a fighter as the Avatar _should_be.

"She is a fellow soldier, I would have saved any of them." Aang noticed very well that Zuko still did not consider himself as part of their group. That fact did not bother him as much as it should, as much as he _knew _it should.

Aang opened his mouth and then shut it again before speaking and looked down to his hands. He could not deny how happy he was to know that Zuko was no longer competition for Katara's feelings, nor could he deny how un-Avatar-like that was. He could almost feel the contempt of the other Avatar's bearing down upon him from the Spirit World.

* * *

Toph had managed, at last to fall into a light and fitful sleep, still hunched down in the farthest corner from Sokka. 

Or she thought that it was the farthest, in this metal cell she could not see a thing, only hear the strange, echoing sounds of movement and shifting all around.

When she was small and before she had learned to see though the earth she had only dreamed in sounds and darkness. She would hear strange things that never made any sense and conversations about badgermoles having tea parties and complimenting each other on what fine hats they wore.

Once she had gotten a handle on her strange manner of seeing and it became like second-nature to her, she had begun to dream in that manner as well.

Her dreams seemed easier to follow and she wasn't certain if that were a blessing or no. She would dream of her parents finding out about her and locking her in her rooms in the manner and she could see them for miles as they walked away, ready to leave her there for the rest of her life with a maid who hobbled for company. The awkward hobbling made her seem to flicker from here to there so she could always sneak up on Toph.

Her nightmares were always in sounds alone though. She wasn't certain why and she had never given it much thought. Nightmares were for weak little girls, something she was most definitely _not._

Her dreams now were nightmares, trapped forever in this realm where she couldn't see, couldn't even Earthbend. At least in the Water Nation she had been allowed to go wherever she pleased and Sokka had always been there to take her arm and lead her around, he would even—if she allowed him to—describe the sights to her.

Here, though, everything seemed different. She had heard people in the town whispering about Yue—who had loved Sokka and been so pretty, and so fair, and so kind, and so perfect it made Toph sick to hear about her—and now they were locked away with no way to escape and she wanted to be away from him and everyone. She wanted a private place so that she could vent all the weaknesses she knew she still had.

She was weak at times, but she preferred to hide that as much as possible.

She woke with a start to a feather-light touch on her shoulder, and once she was fully awake and finished jerking away from Sokka she could hear the sound of a group of guards coming noisily down the hallway.

She touched one hand to the wall to try and orient herself in the room and Sokka stood beside her, wary to avoid touching, but she could feel the heat of him, and smell that constant scent of the outdoors and the strange unnamed smell that clung to all the clothes they wore from the Water Tribe. It reminded her a little of Appa's fur though not quite so pungent.

"Hey!" The shout was close enough that even Toph could guess they were at the door to her and Toph's cell as opposed to any of the others.

"You, girl."

"Yeah what do you want?" She pitched her voice low and tried to sound bored, it worked to annoy those at the fights she used to attend and she assumed it would work here as well. What was a soldier but a fighter-for-hire?

"Toph Be Fong?" He asked again and she refused to answer.

"Yeah, it's her. How many pint-sized blind girls do you think travel with the Avatar?" Another voice asked. There was the sound of soft squabbling and then.

"You'll stay down here 'til they come for you, but you're as good as free. You, _however_, will stay here until you die." She could tell the second half was directed at Sokka and felt him hesitate for only an instant before grabbing her elbow and stepping in front of her.

"Who's coming for her?" He asked, his voice dark and serious. It was a part of his personality but Toph was always caught off guard when he turned serious after playing the fool for so long. She supposed that was what she liked about him in a way, that he seemed two different people just like she had been two different people. The guards laughed at Sokka's question but did not answer, and after a moment they began to walk away.

She still had trouble accepting help, especially when she didn't _ask_for it. But this time, like when he took her arm without a word when there was no land to be had, it made her smile, even just a little. Her whole life, up until meeting Aang, she had never had anyone at all understand her in the slightest. Those at the fights saw only the Blind Bandit and her parents saw a liability at best.

The gang accepted her and seemed to understand her, or at least see that she could care for herself very well. Sokka though, he seemed to understand so much more. He usually knew when to leave her alone and when to press things.

She had never even asked him once to take her arm, he'd just allowed her to hold onto him the first time they were in a dock-side town with shops built on docks instead of land.

"Won't matter to you, you'll stay in this cell until you rot." More laughter followed until it faded into nothing.

"What do you think they meant by that?" He asked, glancing back at her. She'd already settled down with her back against the wall and seemingly ready to sleep some more.

"How should I know Snoozles, but the moment I'm back surrounded by earth they'll regret it." Her response was as harsh and caustic as ever, but the use of his nickname and the promise of violence calmed Sokka. She still seemed off from what he was used to, but that always happened when she was away from her element too long. It happened to Katara too so he chalked it up to being a bender and was grateful for whatever had made her feel a little better.

Katara wasn't mourning the loss of her element at the time though.

She was watching Iroh's old face very carefully. A strange mix of love, nostalgia, and sorrow etched into his wrinkled features.

"So did you marry her after all?" Katara asked, a little hopeful, she needed to hear a story that ended well in such dire straights as their current situation.

"No." Iroh murmured, shaking his head. "She married someone else and my son was ready to join the war effort so my father saw no reason for me to remarry. I left to the front-line of the battle the day after her wedding. I didn't return for years aside from a visit here and there, not returning for good until Lu Ten fell in battle."

"Lu Ten?" Katara asked. Iroh's countenance seemed to grow even more sorrowful.

"My son." Iroh murmured softly. Katara felt tears well up in her eyes and wished she knew what she could do. She knew the pain of loss, but had never learned the secret to comforting someone. "My father died just before I arrived and she died just after I arrived. But I got to see Zuko for the first time since he was born and he does keep me busy." Iroh tried to laugh and smile but it didn't reach his eyes and barely banished any of the lingering sadness.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, unsure of what else she could say that would be of any help at all.

"Don't be sorry for me. I have lived a good life." Some of the smile seemed to return for real this time. "And I do hate to see such a pretty girl sad on my account." Katara managed a weak laugh at that and the maudlin air seemed to lift just a little.

"How did he get that scar." She blurted after a moment of silence. She instantly regreted it and tried to take the question back.

"No, no you should know." Iroh sighed, and she regretted filling his mind with dour thoughts once more, "it may help you to understand him." He ventured. "Do you have duels in the Water Tribe? I do not know." She explained that other than sparring between students or even a student and a master they had nothing like that, so first Iroh explained a thing called an Agni Kai, a battle of honor between Firebenders.

She supposed that it _wasn't _just Zuko who was so obsessed with honor, but the whole of the culture.

He told her the story of how desperate a fourteen year-old Zuko had been to enter the War Room and help with the effort. She knew that well, she still remembered Sokka crying when he thought she was asleep after their father left him behind. She was startled and a little heartened whens he heard how Zuko had stood up for the troops and wondered where that kind boy had gone, until she heard the rest of the story.

The tears that had gathered in her eyes at the story of Iroh's son welled up even more and by the time Iroh explained their departure from the Capital they finally began to fall and she quickly scrubbed her eyes with her long coat-sleeve. "I never guessed." She murmured, and then again when her words stuck in her throat.

"He would have it that no one knew. He blames himself." Katara nodded softly. They settled into another silence and this was interrupted by Iroh.

"Do you care for him?" He asked earnestly.

"I don't know." She answered and it was the truth. When she could see the young boy still in his eyes, or even the honorable fighter it was a very likely thing that she cared for him, but when that haughty prince shone through she wanted, very much, to cuff him like a child being naughty.

They heard the guards then, moving down the hall and stopping to jeer into Toph and Sokka's cell, and with quite a bit of straining and arguing over just what each of them heard they managed to piece together the conversation.

"I can't imagine what they want with Toph." Iroh said, his face taking on that look of extreme concentration. Katara pulled away from the door and dropped to the floor, her mind whirling through hundreds of possibilities and trying to dismiss each in turn until she thought she might have pieced it together.

"Her parents." She whispered finally. Iroh looked at her, confused. "Her parents are wealthy, I think they were merchants or something. If people can buy passage into this city separated from the War they might do that, they wanted nothing to do with helping Aang when we asked." She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself if only to mask their trembling. "They might have bought her freedom. Toph is still new enough to our group and I've not seen wanted posters for her up in towns. The king might be willing to part with her for a price."

Iroh nodded, though she had no thrill at being right. She was glad that Toph might be free from this terrible place and grim fate, but she knew better. Toph would never be happy with so many restrictions, back at home and no longer free to fight and roam and make an attempt at living her own life rather than being shut away like a girl in a tower from a fable.

And, Katara liked to think, that she might miss them, Sokka most of all. She still didn't know how her brother felt for the Earthbender but Toph, she was certain, would miss Sokka.

* * *

**MusicBender -- **You have done such a good job of reviewing even the old chapters I don't think I have space enough here to thank you so profusely as you deserve. But welcome to the story and I am glad you like it so much, and that you gave it a chance even when the Airbenders showed up. Balance is such a central theme of my story that I could not find a way to end the story without brining back some of them. Otherwise once Aang died there would be no more Airbenders and so, eventually, the Avatar Cycle would be broken and the world would fall into chaos. Though that would be very fun to write if not a tad depressing. Hmm, maybe once this story is over? Also, amazing name! I love it very much! 

As for Qui-Gong it is from Mulan if I remember correctly -- I think it's been too long since I've seen it to know for certain. But it's a real province in Ancient China and I happened to be scribbling notes for this chapter on my notes from my Chinese Civilizations class... so the name stuck when I needed one.

**Vin -- **I am always thrilled to meet a new reader, even more so when they are so very kind to me as you are! I think you give me too much credit but I'm glad to hear it all the same and I hope you enjoy future chapters just as much!

**Ree -- **Wow! I'm blushing! For serious majorly. (my new favorite phrase!) I was very surprised, and glad mind you, to find how many people did not mind the slow (very slow) lead up to the romance, so I am always glad to meet another who doesn't mind...enjoys it even! I agree, some stories do jump into it faster than I like, but on that note many start with them already in a relationship and do very well so I suppose it's just a matter of preference. Either way I'm glad you like my rendition! Hopefully you'll continue to like it even when the relationship finally starts to blossom after so much cultivation. Now I'm making it sound like a garden, which is worrisome when you learn what a terrible job I do of caring for plants.

**Princess25 -- **Well I've written again, hopefully it's what you were looking for! Or at least enjoyable.

**Shard -- **I'm glad you liked the explanation, though we get a bit more of it here, so hopefully you don't feel I'm beating a dead horse. (Originally these two chapters were supposed to be one but I rather like the flow of having them split. It gives a greater sense of how much time is passing for the characters...I hope. As for the title, that was a happy accident, but I am glad you liked it. I got a little smile out of it and I always like when stories/movies/whatever present a reason for the title. Not many resolutions, but we are getting there. :) Next time indeed.

**AlinaAlone#1 -- **Again I hope I don't beat the point to death with this chapter, but since we can see into Zuko's head it was easier to understand his motives and Aang needed a bit more help. You'll have to be honest with me about that point. As for Katara, well he is maddening at times, but I'm very glad to hear that you liked that little bit.

**Inkweaver2 -- **I thought it might be better to answer here just in case, and it makes no difference to me, so if there is a manner you prefer do speak up. I am glad you like this story so much though and it never fails to make me smile when I read your reviews. I am glad you don't mind the lack of Jet. He is a terrible interesting character and I would have liked a chance to write him and do him justice, but there was no room for him in the story.


	40. Last Wish Baby

**This has been asked a couple times so I thought that I would address it here. While I am writing this story as I go I had every bit planned out before I began to type. I also finished planning long before the second season ended, which meant that I had no idea that metalbending was possible and my plot lacks that major revelation. Remember: this is considered an AU pretty much just before "The Library". **

**I know, believe me I worked to try and fit metalbending in because it is the coolest thing since...well ever. But it wouldn't work because then there would be no way to keep them in the cells and this--as I hope you can see--is important to character development if not the plot itself.**

**I am sorry, and I know that's disappointing, but hopefully it's not heartbreaking to anyone.**

**PS: To those of you who are interested in the symbolism of the titles and may be sitting on your side of the screen guessing I'll give you a hint this title references a brilliant play rather than a myth or symbol proper. (Though the play is technically an extended metaphor.)  
**

* * *

The sun had already risen and the carts were already loading up with wears in the Merchant Quarter. The Be Fongs' had been a part of Ba Sing Se for almost a year now and they knew well the comings and goings of the strange world of the withdrawn city. 

They had left a handful of trusted vessels in charge of seeing their wares shipped out and Lady Be Fong had sent her personal maid to get the week's allotments. Today though, today the whole city was abuzz with the news of how, late last night guards on the bridge between the Farming Quarter and the Milling Quarter had captured the Avatar and his friends.

As soon as the news had reached them they both set off to the palace with what little savings they'd retained after buying a place in the city and begged for their daughter back.

"What do you mean, 'Back'?" The King asked leaning forward in his throne and motioning to two guards.

"The Avatar kidnapped her." The King's eyebrows rose on his pale, overlarge forehead at the man's statement.

"He kidnapped her? A child who travels around generally helping people kidnapped your daughter?"

"She's blind, but gifted with Earthbending powers. Somehow he convinced her that she was strong and capable. He urged her to fight. That _monster_ put our daughter in danger. All her life we've struggled to protect her and when we told her she could not fight he dared to take her from us."

"From your story it sounds as though she may have left of her own will."

"Will you give her to us or no? We just want our daughter back!" The Lady wailed, and her husband was quick to restrain her before she flew at the king in a fit of tears.

"Madam, control yourself." The king sighed, needlessly. "I do not care for your daughter you can have her if you wish. The others, though--"

"We don't care about them."

"Just as well. I've sent messengers to Ozai. In return for sending him their corpses we can keep more supplies for our town." The king sighed and pushed himself out of his throne. "With more supplies we might be able to allow more people entrance. You may spread that rumor if you wish." He sighed again and decided he was getting too old to deal with the intricacies of politics in a time of war. "When your payment arrives and is counted by my accountants, I will have your daughter brought to your home. If she tries to free her cohorts or even Earthbends I will have all of you ejected from the town." The verdict was delivered as an afterthought but it froze the scared couple on the spot.

The world still waged on unattended outside the walls of the city, it would never end with the Avatar dead—not that they cared about him—to be tossed out of the safety it afforded was tantamount to a death sentence.

* * *

Down in the prison Toph hadn't spoken since the guards approached their cell but she and Sokka had fallen asleep tucked against the fall wall. Sokka woke at the sound of the Guards opening the door and stood quickly, forgetting Toph was leaned against him and waking her with the sudden movement. "Get out of the way _boy." _One of the guards commanded with a thick, heavy gruff voice. Sokka lacked his boomerang but he was a proud warrior of the Water Tribe and he was not going to back down. And a part of him, he would never admit, was pained at being called 'boy'. He recalled far too well the other warriors calling him a mere boy when they left and he was forced to remain behind. 

He launched himself at the guards viciously. Toph stood and braced herself but she didn't know what to do. She couldn't see, all she heard was the sounds of a struggle, the rattling of armor, and finally a pained shout. Silence reigned for a moment and Toph cursed herself for being as weak as everyone had always thought her to be.

Someone grabbed her wrist roughly and she was foolish enough to hope, for only a moment, that it was Sokka.

"Come on, your parents are waiting for you." A guard's rough voice filled the darkness and she felt his hot breath blast across her face for a moment before he dragged her behind him. She twisted violently and struggled against his iron grip, only succeeding on banging her leg hard on the door frame as he dragged her through it.

The sound of the pained shout echoed in her memory and as she was dragged down the hallway she screamed his name with no mind to her pride and reservations. She would have given her ability to Earthbend just to know he was alright.

All the others heard the ruckus kicked up by a large group of guards coming down the hall, and when Toph started crying out for Sokka.

Zuko acted before he thought and wrenched Aang away from the door. "If you try something now you might get us all killed." He hissed, more angry than anything. "Toph's free! You heard those guards, they're letting her go for whatever reason. Would you rather we all die than only one of us escape?"

Aang was furious at Zuko's words and he whirled on the young man. "What do you know what it's like to have friends? You've never sacrificed anything for anyone and you don't know what it's like! I'd rather die before I see any of my friends hurt."

"And them? Your actions do not effect you alone! If you try to escape now and those guards jump to action, not one of them will protect Toph and with no earth around she's blind! What would happen to her? And if you do not succeed and die in the attempt? You think they'll let Sokka and Katara live?" Zuko wasn't certain where this calm, cold feeling was coming from. He was angry, furious even, but he wasn't lashing out as he would have done only six months ago. He was trying to prove a point, promoting thought before action.

He had always wondered why Iroh repeated such lessons over and over again when it was clear Zuko wanted nothing to do with them. Now he had no doubt that Iroh had known all along that they would sneak up on the young prince and once, when he didn't expect it, they would pounce and he'd calm down and learn—finally—to think.

He supposed he probably owed his uncle a word or two of gratitude but for right now he just wished that the Avatar would benefit from more than just lessons in Firebending.

"I'm not going to sit here when my friends need me!"

"They do not need you!" Zuko shouted, he was not entirely learned in the way of soothing anger and it seemed to be too much. "They don't need a petulant child who will not listen to advice! They need the Avatar!"

They were still both pressed against the door of their cell, with their faces against the tiny, barred window; when a lone guard came past with a large earthenware pitcher and a stumbling, confused Sokka they saw clearly.

"Sokka!" Aang shouted. The guard turned, his eyes hard and his face impassive.

"Shut up!" He hissed conspiratorially, then softer, "Even caged you are not without friends Avatar Aang." He murmured, presenting the words as though they were a sacrifice to a pagan god of legend. They did not see where he went but they heard the door of another cell creak open slowly.

Katara had been worried sick from the moment she heard the guards coming down the hall to the moment that the door swung open allowing in a guard and her brother. She was so worried that escape never crossed her mind. She could feel the cold, cool, and pure water in the pitcher and her brother bore a gash over one eye that was bleeding heavily. She was at his side in an instant, helping him to the ground, laying him out and soothing him with soft words as she worked on healing him.

Iroh was just as worried but he was as much a general as ever and so he turned his attention to the still-open door and the guard who held the now-empty pitcher loosely.

"The Avatar is not without supporters, even here in the city without war." The guard mentioned and Iroh knew from the uniform that he was a Captain of high rank.

"Does he?"

The Captain glanced over his shoulder at the open door. "He does. The war cannot harm these people and that is well and good but someday there will be nothing left for the Fire Nation to conquer and they will come here. The king is old and noble, he thinks, or hopes, that they will deal with honor. Some of us do not agree."

"You saved his life."

"Hardly a reason to trust me." The Captain agreed to what remained unsaid. "I will do what I can, as will others like me. There is a plan to free you and there are more of us than you might imagine. But the King is powerful."

"Thank you." Katara murmured, having followed the conversation with half an ear as she helped a now-healed Sokka to stand.

"What about Toph?"

"Her parents are here." The Captain admitted, glancing over his shoulder again as though afraid of being discovered. "They have bought her way out of prison." She will be privately escorted to their home to avoid scandal, we made certain it is one of ours who leads her there."

"But how can she know to trust you? We know you mean well, or you would not stand here, our freedom waiting and you unarmed." Katara spoke, the water that had healed a moment before had curled around her, following the sweep of her arm and ready to be deadly at a moment's notice.

"I do not know, but I hope. Hope is all we have these days." The sounds of boots reached them and he backed out quickly. "Tonight." He murmured before he vanished.

"I think," Iroh whispered, urging their small group to sit, "that there is an escape attempt afoot." He smiled and watched as Katara fussed over a small tear in Sokka's shirt. She had been more worried for her brother than she liked to admit and to have him at her side and well just made her angry about worrying.

* * *

**Bonnie -- **Well, a little later than you might have liked (and short) but it did make it's way up. :) I am glad you seem to be enjoying it though. 

**Shard -- **I am glad you agree. I was a little bit worried after I'd posted them with the split. I felt that maybe I was just making excuses for being too lazy to write them all as one, but hearing that you think it worked eases my paranoia just a bit. As for Zuko...well he's never had anything easy and that does seem to be just as much his fault as anyone else's. As for getting him off his current plan...well you'll have to wait and see won't you:)

**Ree-- **Wow. "Emo Pansy Ass" I do think that sums him up quite nicely actually! It certainly gave me a huge chuckle! Toph does seem to have it bad just now though, doesn't she? Well, at least she doesn't have it as bad as Zuko (then again, so few do). She seems me the type to take pleasure in knowing at least one person is more miserable than she.

**MusicBender -- **I did answer your question at the start, but yes, Copper is a metal, and all metals are from the earth, they're ores, and while they might be combinations (such as steel) they started in the rock somewhere. Sorry, it's the geek in me. Anyway: Toph is wicked awesome and I won't make her leave the group, I promise. But I like tying up loose ends and including as much from Canon as possible so I felt a reunion with her parents was necessary. Hopefully that and future chapters will make up for her not kicking ass (just yet...). I am glad I've changed your mind about the Airbenders. I agree though, when people don't explain things (even in proper published books, or movies or television shows) in a way that's viable it annoys me to no end. To hear that you feel I managed to explain it well is a huge compliment and put a smile on my face for days!

**Vin -- **Never apologize for a pun! I, personally, adore them. Then again I've always been told I have poor taste in jokes. :) I am honored you think so highly of my story though and wish I could do something more than _just _thank you. I do try to make it suit them well but I never get tired of hearing that people think I've succeeded. And as for taking my time...I'm glad you like it! I have always liked slower stories that draw out the action and so that's just what happened when I sat down to write. I'm certain you'll do fabulously when you do write a story and (wink wink) I hope you don't hesitate to share a link should you decide to post it:)

**Inkweaver2 -- **I'm so used to mentioning you hear it is hard to stop, though this week the response got so long I rather had to use the reply feature, hopefully you got it, and that I didn't bore you too terribly.


	41. The Warning of the Crow

**I wanted to wish a quick "Good Luck!" to Inkweaver2. I'm certain you'll do fabulously and hopefully this chapter will be a grand welcome as you return home! **

**Also, since it seems you (far too kind) reviewers are going to go out of your way to REALLY surpass my "highest review" count I'm alerting you now that the 400th reviewer will--if they want it--earn one spoiler. **

**Though that seems like a silly thing to hand out since no one really wants to be spoiled...but if you've better ideas I'd love to hear them. I don't know how else to thank you for the overwhelming kindness you've shown me!**

* * *

Toph had been preparing with every fiber of her being for being able to Earthbend once more. She could feel the power and energy building up within her as she stumbled blindly along. Her foot touched stone and she shifted her weight, falling into an offensive stance. Her attack never came to fruition. A second before she could do a thing she was folded in a long pair of arms and her mother was wrapped around her, sobbing into her thing, cotton shirt. "I thought I would never see you again. I thought I'd lost you." The normally silent and austere woman wailed brokenly. 

For a moment Toph was unsure of what to do. Her mother had never seemed to care for her any more than her father had. She knew they might miss her and maybe worry for her—she was their daughter and though they went about it wrong they wanted her to be safe—but she had never considered for even a moment that her mother would miss her _this _much.

All of Toph's urges to Earthbend her way back into the jail were pushed into the back of her mind for a moment while she held her mother and wondered at the change. "I'm sorry." Her mother murmured, chanting it again and again as she clung to her daughter.

"Dai-yu, you are embarrassing me. Let her go and let's return home." Lao's hard voice cut between them with as much force as if Toph had thrown up a rock wall.

"_If you Earthbend at all we'll be evicted." _Her mother whispered as she tore herself away from her daughter and returned to stand placidly at her husband's side, her head hanging low and her hands folded in front of her. If Toph had not seen through Earthbending she would never have known how her mother trembled.

Something sour and dark twisted in Toph's belly and she couldn't bring herself to Earthbend. She wished to lead her own life and she wished to travel with her friends. She did not want to be damned to the wretched life of a songbird in a cage. As much as she didn't wish for that, she did not wish to harm her parents. She had known that they would miss her, but she thought they could live with it—she had always seemed like more of a burden than a daughter—but she did not want to get them thrown out of this well-guarded city.

Sokka and Katara had lost their mother and not heard from their father since he'd left to fight and until that moment of standing in the King's Audience Chamber and staring down her parents she didn't realize how nice it was not to have to worry for them. She did not have to lay awake at night and wonder if they were laying dead in a ditch somewhere.

Even Zuko had lost his mother and suddenly that meant so much more to her than ever before. Having them standing before her now that she had seen _real _battle as opposed to mock battle in the arena—where generally they would stop before their opponent died—she was made aware of how much it would hurt to lose them.

Though she did, desperately long to be away from them and their lifestyle she did not wish them to death. So she shifted again and nodded once to her mother. She was not going to give up on her friends so easily but Aang had chosen her as his Earthbending teacher for a reason; for her ability to _wait _and to_watch_. She knew the benefits of a planned course of action even if she did not enjoy being patient.

She fell into step behind her father and stretched herself as far as she could, feeling out the maid's shuffling footsteps in even the farthest part of the castle. She tried to learn the layout of the grand, expansive building in what little time she had, because she would be back and the next time she would not leave her friends behind. She made the effort to leave without a fight and to know that it was the right thing to do, but still, the farther she got from the copper prison, the worse she felt.

* * *

It was very difficult to keep track of time hidden away in the cells like they were. Sokka was fairly certain that Iroh could have told them down to the moment how long they had been imprisoned—something about the way the old man held himself so serenely—but he did not press. Instead they tried to keep each other calm and collected while they waited for rescue. 

Iroh was the famous general who laid siege to Ba Sing Se for two whole years, Katara and Sokka were slightly less skilled at sitting around and waiting rather than actually doing something.

"Do you think Toph's okay?" Sokka asked, looking up from where he had stretched out along the far wall of the cell. Katara ceased her pacing and spared him a soft and gentle look.

"I'm sure she's find Sokka." She promised, sounding far more certain than she felt. "Toph's smart, she fought without her parents' knowledge for years and Aang picked her because she understood neutral Jin...remember?" Sokka nodded at her words but his look was still distant and more than a little worried.

"To be honest I am more worried for my young nephew in all of this." Iroh piped up, trying to draw away Sokka's mind from such worries.

"Do you think they got word to Aang and Zuko that we'll be rescued?" Katara asked as soon as Iroh finished speaking.

"I do not know. I don't think so." He was honest in his answer, even if it was not the one Katara was looking for. "He barely had the time to tell us and to plan a secret escape, one needs to keep it secret." Iroh tried to smile and even if her heart wasn't entirely in it, Katara managed one in response.

"Katara..." Sokka started, managing to stand almost an instant after Katara began to pace once more. Considering how relaxed he had looked a moment before it was an impressive feat and Iroh smiled to himself; it was long ago but he could recall being that young and being that limber. "You gotta take it easy." He pleaded tugging on her arm before she could complete a full circuit of the room.

"I can't!" She sighed, sounding nearer to the edge than she had a moment before. "I'm worried about Aang and Zuko, and this whole plan! I'm worried about whether or not we should trust Wu and I'm worried about Toph keeping her cool rather than shaking the whole city to bits in an attempt to save us." She railed, trying to pace and settling on worrying the hem of her shirt when Sokka prevented her.

"There is no reason to worry." Iroh told her gently. Somehow he doubted if it were really only the things she listed bothering her. The poor girl always took on so much in an attempt to help her friends and rarely had time for herself. And though she did not seem certain of the fact herself Iroh knew she had at least the start of feelings for Zuko. Iroh knew better than anyone that that alone could be a full time occupation. He did not doubt that she was spreading herself dangerously thin.

"Come on Katara," Sokka said, a small smile spreading across his face, "If you fall apart who's going to fix my pants for me when they tear?" She made a noise of indignation once she realized what he'd said and then the both of them dissolved into laughter.

"You know Sokka," Iroh started, a wicked grin of his own forming, "Many women find themselves very impressed with a man who has skills around the home. I myself learned to sew and cook."

"And brew tea!" Katara chimed in quickly.

"Yes, and brew tea. And I was quite the ladies man in my day." Iroh couldn't contain the soft chuckle that escaped, and it only grew in volume when he saw the contemplative look on Sokka's face.

"Really?" Sokka asked, truly considering the idea.

"Oh yes!" Katara gushed dramatically. "I know that I would just_ adore _a man who could help with those mundane little chores that can pile up."

If Sokka found their uproarious laughter at all questionable he didn't make any mention of it.

To Katara, who was worried about getting their strange little family together again, it seemed like an eternity before there was a clatter at their cell door. "Come on." Wu's voice hissed through the bars. Not a moment later, the door swung open and all three of them were ready to push out the door. Wu handed Sokka's boomerang back to him and glanced to Katara. "I am sorry, my lady, but I could not bring water for you without altering the suspicions of others."

"It's okay." Katara murmured; Sokka, who knew her well, could tell that it was a bald-faced lie, but the Captain seemed heartened by it and nodded, rushing them forward to the cell where Aang and Zuko were contained.

Sokka nearly burst with excitement, ready to shout in to the others that there was a rescue in progress but Katara silenced him with a dark look before he'd even opened his mouth. He nodded, agreeing and understanding and remained silent. He listened, instead, for the sounds of guards coming down the long, copper hallway.

The door swung open and Aang and Zuko came tumbling out—Aang with a gale-force wind, and Zuko with dual blades made of fire, Katara noticed it wasn't white—Wu fell back and Iroh shot between them and the group, defusing their attack in moments.

"Hey!" Sokka murmured darkly, "we're _trying_ to rescue you!" Aang lunged at Katara, hugging her around her middle like a child reunited with his mother.

"I was worried about you!" He whispered, struggling desperately to keep his voice pitched low.

"I was worried about _you_!" Katara said with a smile. She touched his head and pushed him gently away, urging the whole group to move on now while they had the chance. From one of the other guards accompanying him—apparently a part of this resistance force Wu had alluded to—Zuko was provided with his duel blades and he accepted them with a small bow and a whisper that could have been 'thank you'.

When they opened the door out of the long prison-hall it revealed a handful of Earthbending guards looking furious and ready for a battle. Iroh was the first to react, leaping to the head of the group and breathing fire.

Even though they traveled with the Avatar and saw the amazing on a regular basis Sokka found himself impressed with the sight. He had never considered the reason behind Iroh's name—The Dragon of the West—and he had never considered that it was possible to breath fire, even if Zuko had come close once or twice.

He had heard tales that Ozai did when furious, but he'd written that off as an exaggeration. Just like when townsfolk said he was seven feet tall with scales and wings. Even in the heat of battle, in the farthest corner of his mind Sokka wondered at those possibilities, since breathing fire was possible.

That was shoved aside though as he wielded his boomerang and stepped in front of Katara. She was still without water and so the only one unable to fight. There were several long moments of confusion in which Katara felt as helpless as she had been during the Fire Nation raid so long ago.

Zuko dragged her backward bodily and pushed his swords into her hands. "I don't know how to use them!" She insisted, trying to focus on him and the fight all at once.

"It is better than nothing!" He shouted back, turning away from her and kicking an approaching guard with a flourish of white fire that blinded Katara for the briefest of moments. Another guard came at their side and she swung violently with both blades at once; Zuko would practice with his swords near the camp he was sure enough in his ability with them and she recalled the move. She did little good other than pushing the guard back a step or two as he avoided her wild swing.

"This way!" Wu shouted, pushing them at a young guard with a long beard done into two braids and adorned with jade beads. " Xue Pan will show you the way out of here!"

"What about you?" Iroh asked, fighting back-to-back with the Earthbending Captain.

"I'll be fine." For the group that was enough and they followed Xue Pan, carving a path for themselves. Iroh lagged behind; too many times in battle he had heard those three words and every time it had ended up being nothing more than a hollow promise that became a lie. "Go!" Wu shouted. "If I die, I die protecting the Avatar, there is not a worthier death than that."

Iroh nodded, already mourning the brave man in his own way as he followed after the others.

* * *

**Princess25 -- **Hopefully you didn't die of anticipation and you can enjoy this chapter. I try not to take too long between updates. 

**Bonnie -- **Of course I did! Replying is the very least I can do to thank all those people who take the time out of their busy day to review my little story! I know it's not very much Zutara at all, but I promise you will get some soon-ish. Right now, you have to understand, there are other things on their minds. I am sorry though and hopefully you won't mourn it's severe lack too much.

**Shard -- **I think everyone but Zuko knew he had it in him somewhere, but I am tickled pink (oh yeah, I said 'tickled pink') that you liked it. It was a very fun moment to write.

**MusicBender -- **Yep, it's not so special as it sounds, but it is fun. As for my own show...I don't know, but it is fun to consider. Writing is mostly just something I do for fun to unwind after a long day, it seems odd to consider it in a professional capacity. But I am honored you think so highly of my skills to think I would succeed at something so amazing.

**AlinaAlone#1 -- **Well, it didn't quite work out as they had planned, but the gAang is free! So that's something. :)


	42. Confessions of a Milquetoast

**I think you all really need to stop reviewing. Any more and I might just die of utter happiness and then who would write the story you all seem to love:)**

**No, really I do think you all are spoiling me rotten but I can't say I'm not enjoying every second of it. I just wish there were more I could do for you. I wish I could send you all cookies and hugs and anything you liked because this story and "thanks" just doesn't seem at all worthy of how happy you all make me.**

**Okay. Enough sap eh? I love you all more than I can express, that much is clear. And I have a new chapter for you so I should let you get to that at the very least! **

**And while I have your attention it has come to my attention that a lot of you are really curious about the chapter meanings so I will, starting the weekend, start posting MY interpretations of the titles over in my Livejournal if you're curious.**

**Super special thanks to clex who was the 400th reviewer. Wow...still that's a phrase I can't believe I'm saying. I'm going to be trying to pull my jaw up off the floor while you all read.**

* * *

Dai-yu had her daughter back, and while she had never been terribly emotional in any of Toph's childhood memories now she seemed determined to never let the girl go again. She held Toph's hand in both of hers and alternated between laughing and sobbing. Her father seemed less grateful to have her back and instead, several times, asked Dai-yu to stop making such a fuss. He seemed more interested in life returning to exactly as it had been before she left to travel the world with the Avatar. 

He ate with them once they returned home but sequestered himself away in his study at his earliest convince.

Dai-yu smiled sadly at her daughter once her husband had left. "It is not so large as our old home," She started, sounding so contrite it broke Toph's heart no matter how tough she claimed to be. "But...but we've a little garden. No one will bother us if we walk there...I remember you always loved to walk through the gardens." She dared a tiny smile and then looked away. "You may go alone if you wish. It will not hurt me if you do not wish to spend time with me." She said, not meeting Toph's gaze.

"Mom..." Toph sighed, unsure of just what to say and furious about it. Even Snoozles would be able to handle this situation better than she and that made her angry. She had never _hated _her parents, they just didn't understand her and so she'd left them in search of happiness. Now that she saw what her attempt at happiness had done to her mother she felt herself regretting it.

Which wasn't the case. She would make the same decision again and again. As soon as she had a chance to free her friends she would and she'd leave again for that matter. But now she knew how much it would break her mother's heart and she wished there were another way.

"It is my own fault." Dai-yu said, standing in that flowing, graceful way she had as she mistook Toph's silence for a rejection. "I never spoke out against your father, no matter how I wished to, no matter how I wanted to. I thought he knew best, he said you were weak and I was foolish enough to believe him. To think that if you never were exposed to bending entirely you might not know to miss it." She smiled sadly and cupped Toph's face in one of her hands.

"What?"

"I have never seen you fight, but I have heard stories. Of the blind Earthbender who sees more than anyone else. The blind Earthbender who trains the Avatar himself and fights with the strength and courage of ten men." Her face softened even if Toph couldn't see the smile. "I know it must mean very little to you, but I am sorry. Sorry for everything." She was crying again and Toph reached out to hug her despite herself. "I just wanted you to be happy and I was so foolish."

"I am happy mom. I get to see the world with my friends." Toph assured her, her throat tightening and her eyes stinging as tears welled. She was tough, and she'd proved it, but right now all she wanted was to hold her mother for a moment and enjoy the comfort of home.

"I'm so glad. I thought...I mean I worried," She sniffled and almost broke down completely, "I worried that my inaction had ruined your life before you had a chance to live it." For a moment they held each other in silence broken only by Dai-yu's soft crying.

"Mom..." Toph murmured, lifting her head from her mother's shoulder. "I love you. Even if I leave, know that I love you." Dai-yu took her daughter's hand and held it against her mouth so Toph could see how she smiled.

"You will leave again though. I know you will. But it will be good to know you are not fighting to protect the world and hating me for the wrongs I know I committed against you. You have to leave. You are the Avatar's teacher, he sought you out. And know, I couldn't be more proud. I could never have done what you do. I was never very good at Earthbending, maybe that's how I gave it up when your father asked me to." She murmured, pulling away from the hug and trying, in vain, to compose herself.

"You never told me you could Earthbend!" Toph was startled and a little angry that her parents had kept this from her for so long. She had never even had any clue at all. Distantly a part of her wondered how her mother had managed to do without. Through the others she had seen it was not just her dependence on Earthbending to see that made her love it, _need it _almost. Bending was like breathing or eating it was so much a part of who they were.

Even Iroh, who rarely ever displayed his fire outright would heat up soups and tea and he'd start their campfire for them in the evening. That was in addition to all the training he did with Aang; she just couldn't get her mind around a Bender who simply stopped.

Katara had, of course, told her about the Earthbending Prison out on the ocean and how they refused to fight back for fear of punishment. She would have fought but she could understand that _fear _better than simply stopping because her father had demanded it.

"Bending is not something for us." Her mother said. "We are _above that_." She had never heard her mother be anything but quiet and meek but somehow she knew in that moment that Dai-yu was repeating what had been demanded of her, what had forced her to stop Bending. "I had always been taught, as a child, to do what my parents said without question, and that when I married I would do as my husband said, without question." She sniffled and took Toph by the hand as they walked out of the dinning room and into the garden. "I do not know where you learned strength, but I am so grateful you did."

Toph smiled softly to herself, or tried to, she was still wrapped up in the idea that her mother was a Bender and she'd never known. "How could you just, _give up _Bending?" Toph asked after a little way.

"Your father asked me to. I am not so strong as you Toph, though I wish that I were." It was all her mother would give by way of explanation. "And I think it helped that even at my best I was never half so good as you." She smiled just a little and Toph managed a chuckle. But it had been too long and she was worried for her friends.

She had known all along that as nice as the moment was it wouldn't be able to last, though she would have hoped she could have enjoyed having a mother for just a little longer.

"Mom," Her voice went quiet as she looked for a way to express what she was thinking. Iroh would have known just what to say, and he probably would have known how to draw it out of Toph as well. Katara would have been able to say just the right thing as well too, she bet. That annoyed her more than she cared to admit. "I need to help my friends. I can't just leave them down there in the prison." She took a deep breath and forged on even though her mother's heartbeat had sped up considerably. "I appreciate you freeing me and I am so glad to have seen you again." Then, "I am glad you're protected." She added under her breath, just loud enough for her mother to hear.

"I understand." She murmured, turning away from Toph. "I know that's hard to believe when our lives are so different, but I do. If I were brave enough to fight, I don't think I would stop until I'd won either. And I am glad to know you are so loyal. Like your courage and strength I know I had nothing to do with granting you that. I can only assume it was your friends."

"Yes. But they taught me other things too. Like the importance of family."

"Is..." She swallowed hard enough that Toph could feel it and looked around. "I am new at this, but if there is anything, _anything, _I can do for you, to help you. I will."

"Thank you." Toph whispered, grabbing her mother's hand.

"I was never a good mother to you, not once, nor was I ever a very good Bender. But I will help you free your friends if I can."

"What about dad?"

"You are what matters most to me Toph. You will not be happy in a cage and removed from where you can help people. I can see that and he will too. I know he was over-protective even to the point of smothering you, but I do believe he did it for the best reasons. I think he just wanted to protect you after we came so close to losing you."

Toph knew she had never been able to see that she could remember, but she had been born healthy and supposedly with sight. She had taken ill only a few days after being born, her mother as well. The healers weren't certain what was wrong. They thought it just a normal fever but that it would not break and it continued to get hotter and hotter.

Toph and her mother had conquered the illness true, but Toph had lost her sight in the coarse of it and her mother lost partial mobility. In the extreme cold of winter or in rain her joints would ache, sometimes badly enough to send her to bed for days at a time.

If she set aside her anger and tried to see it from her father's point of view, a talent learned from Iroh, she could understand, in a way, what he had done. He had nearly lost the both of them. He had been unable to do a thing for them but hire healers and watch them fade away. Now he tried to protect them in the only way he could.

She could understand it, yes, but she would not stand for it.

* * *

"We need to find Toph!" Sokka shouted as they made their escape away from the battle raging behind them. 

"She's with her parents!" Xue Pan reminded him in a hiss as they ducked into a passageway hidden behind a tapestry. Sokka and Katara might not have known the purpose for such a thing, being from a small tribe, but Zuko and Iroh recalled well similar passages in the Fire Nation Palace, ways for servants to get from here to there without running into nobles and getting in the way. "She is safer than we are!"

"She is part of our family and we need to get her back! She can help us!" Sokka insisted, his voice dark and hard as it always became when he was being serious.

"Sokka has a point, we are so few against so many. Every man would count a great deal, and a bender so skilled as Toph would count for more than that even." Iroh suggested gently.

"We do not have the time nor the ability. She will be well guarded on the Be Fong estate and we may not make it out of the palace alive." Xue Pan growled, becoming more annoyed with every good reason for going to get Toph the group presented him with.

"We can't just leave her behind!" Aang shouted, using his Airbending to leap over the whole group and land in front of their annoyed guide. For a long moment no one moved and Xue Pan and Aang stared at each other in total silence. Finally he made a sound of annoyance deep in his throat and snarled.

"Fine! If we can survive getting out of this palace we will go and save your Earthbender!" He railed, struggling desperately not to shout and draw attention to their group. Though they were deep within the servants' wing there were people all around who might call the guard down upon them. Katara just hoped that Xue Pan actually had a place to bring them in this rescue and that they had considered things beyond just escaping the cells themselves.

She supposed a real resistance with fighters trained in the art like her father and Iroh would plan the entire thing including contingency plans, just in case. Still, as she clung to the dual swords that had once belonged to Zuko's mother she could not help but worry, helpless to do a thing should fighting break out again as she was. The only one she seemed to pose any danger to with them was herself and that was a depressing thought. She was so skilled at Waterbending now that being helpless in an actual fight was almost worse than being locked away in the dungeon unable to do a thing at all.

* * *

**Bonnie** -- It is difficult and you're right there are times when I wish I could just post all of them at once to placate my readers. I have to admit though, for my next story I'm going to try writing the whole thing and then posting a chapter once or twice a week. But to flood your readers with so many chapters all at once can be a bit daunting. I think it's all about balance and I'm glad to know that despite the wait I still manage to keep lovely readers like you around:) 

**Shard** -- Hmm? What was that about family moments:) Hopefully I didn't drown you in them too much this chapter but I did want to flesh out Toph's parents more since parents and parental figures are rather a theme in this story and the show itself too. Though I suppose since "The Runaway" maybe we'll get to see more of them in canon after all...

**Ree** -- You know I hadn't even thought of the innuendo startlingly enough. I did think it kind of intimate though and I'm glad you enjoyed it (I got a ridiculous amount of giggling out of writing the scene). As for dead awesome people, I'm glad you like Wu that much and that's all I'm going to say for fear of spoiling those who do not wish to be spoiled.

**Princess25** -- I am glad you like the pace. I like my share of quick little stories myself so long as they stay in character but I do love the long ones better that drag it out without getting dull. I suppose that's why I try to write them when I put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard actually) so I'm glad to hear I'm succeeding.

**Rynorean** -- I absolutely ADORE meeting new readers and I'm glad to hear you've managed to catch up to us! I especially love new readers who pick out the things I personally enjoy or worry about to compliment. It makes the review extra-special. I think Sokka and Zuko are so ridiculously fun to write so I'm glad you're enjoying their friendship (especially since we will see more of it) and the same goes for dark!aang. I think I babble far too much about my pacing, but I really do mean it. I worry about the story starting to drag so much that it's always so heartening to hear people like it and feel I'm doing it well. I wish I could hug you! New or not of course you can make requests and as always I will try to fit them in if I can. As for Momo and Zuko I would love to write more and I will try, though right now they're hiding outside the city walls, but in future chapters keep an eye out for it. If I can fit it in I will certainly do so to the best of my abilities! Momo is awesome though, isn't he:)


	43. The Sound of the Coshta Bower

**I know, I know.**

**I'm late.**

**I am so sorry you guys, but last night I was putting the finishing touches on the chapter and I realized it was just...terrible. I considered things and knew, or hoped, that you'd all much rather a late chapter that was good than a crap-tastic chapter that was on time. So I deleted the whole thing, started anew, crashed about two in the morning and then woke up early and here you have it. It may have slightly more errors than normal but I have good news! This week I'm off on break and for the first time I don't have to travel for Thanksgiving so I'm going to TRY to get some chapters written in advance.**

**In other news I wish you all a brilliant holiday and I hope you have a really good time. I will see you (on time) next Friday!**

* * *

Toph and her mother continued to walk around the small garden attached to their home. They continued to talk, Dai-yu wanted to know her daughter from more than just stories passed from merchant to merchant. Toph was thrilled to finally _know_that her mother understood her. Other than getting a chance to be herself and travel, that was her dearest wish. 

Though she wasn't much for telling stories like some of the others she obliged her mother happily and told her what it was like to train the Avatar and travel with his friends and he.

"And now Iroh and Zuko are travelling with us. Iroh is teaching Aang Firebending--" She had explained that she nicknamed all of her friends but her mother had trouble keeping all the different names straight in so short a time so Toph used their proper names, "while Katara and I are still making him practice his other forms. I think Katara cares about him." Toph mentioned softly.

"About Aang? That would work out well since you mentioned how he liked about her earlier."

"No, Zuko. I think she likes him. Well, I _know _she does." She laughed to herself. "Her heartbeat always speeds up whenever she tries to talk to him."

"It sounds like she might in that case. Though I do feel bad for the Avatar if that is true."

"Well, Aang---" Toph stopped speaking and walking all at once, and it was so quick that her mother didn't notice it at first and had to turn around and double back once she did.

"What is it?" She asked, worried and reaching out hesitantly as though she planned to touch Toph's shoulder. Though they had talked and things seemed better, there was still a distance between them that Toph didn't know how to cross and her mother seemed too scared to.

"Something...something's wrong." Toph murmured, kneeling and pressing her hand into the dirt. Her mother froze instantly and even tried to hold her breath. Toph would have smiled at that extra precaution if she were not so disturbed by what she saw.

Distantly, in the palace, there was a large group of people fighting. Most of them were Earthbenders and it exaggerated the vibrations she felt through the ground. She remained where she was. Her friends needed her, that much was clear but the problem lay in the fact that she was known and if _she_helped them her parents would suffer for it.

"Your friends need you." Dai-yu murmured, turning away for a moment.

"Mom..."

"Don't even consider it. You need to help them." Her voice was thick with tears. Toph swallowed hard, still uncertain about what she should do. "I know I'm not even half-skilled compared to you but I will help you if I can. And if all I can do to help is let you go..." She broke off into a sob that she quickly fought down. "We will all die if we remain trapped here in this city. Ozai will tolerate us to fund his war and when it is done and no one is left he will turn upon us to ensure he's conquered the whole of the world."

"But what about you and dad?" Toph asked, feeling the vibrations die down and flair up as the battle ebbed and flowed through the tight halls of the palace.

"I will go and fight beside your friends if you do not, but I do not think I will be of as much use as you." Toph managed to laughed and took two steps toward the gate before she stopped and turned back to her mother and hugged her as tightly as she dared.

"I love you mom. And Dad too." Toph said before she turned once more and rushed toward the palace.

* * *

There was, apparently, an entire network of passages that criss-crossed beneath the ground of Ba Sing Se, even beneath the palace. Though no entrances were actually anywhere to be found that did not stop the small group of escapees. Even with Toph somewhere else in the city they had Aang who had strength and Xue Pan who had finesse and the benefit of knowing the tunnel system by heart for just such an occasion. 

He lead them through the servant's passages with ease, explaining as he went that he knew of a place within the serglio where the underground roads came close to the surface. It was farther from their position than some of the other areas.

"But this is near water." Katara was so grateful at the news she actually sighed in relief. She was quick to return Zuko's swords to him. She had been startled when he lent them to her so willingly and even in the heat of battle she had wondered if maybe this meant that he would stop being so distant with her. She wasn't certain what her strange feelings were toward Zuko but she knew that there was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that seemed to alter depending on how he treated her.

When they emerged into the dawn-stained garden it was to find a battalion of Earthbending soldiers waiting for them. With Katara able to fight once more and Zuko's swords finally in the hands of someone who could use them properly they were able to hold their own against the soldiers, but only barely.

There were simply too many of them for a handful of people—even masters—to hold their own against. Katara was using all the water in the small pond to devastate the almost-endless amount of soldiers but it was always difficult to bend so much water against what it wished to do naturally and she could feel herself beginning to grow tired just as she had when she healed Sokka at the North Pole.

Zuko had been surrounded by soldiers and drawn away from the rest of the group but with his swords and white fire none of the guards seemed able to touch him enough to do any damage. Sokka and Xue Pan fought back to back as though they were old comrades and Iroh proved himself to still be that legendary general that nearly vanquished the Wall.

"What about just breaking into the tunnels or out the walls? You could Earthbend our way out, couldn't you?" Sokka asked over his shoulder while Aang blasted large groups of soldiers back with Airbending, trying to avoid hurting them.

None of them _wanted _to fight. They knew that Ba Sing Se was the only Earth Kingdom city that had enough people to fight, let alone ones so highly trained as these, these were the people they needed to follow Aang into battle against Ozai.

"I can't! We know they are looking for our forces, if we escape we'd only lead them right to our base and have to fight them _there_rather than _here._" Xue Pan explained, throwing up stalagmites with thrusts of his feet and sending handfuls of soldiers tumbling to the ground.

It was then that the outer palace wall broke away into a large chunk that sent the Earthbending soldiers scattering as it wobbled toward them with frightening purpose.

Standing in a puddle of golden, dawn-tinted, sunlight was Toph; her hands on her hips and a cocky grin spreading from ear to ear. "I leave you guys alone for less than a day and you take on an army without me? I can't believe you'd leave me out of all this fun." She laughed heartily and the others took advantage of the ensuing confusion to rush toward the exit Toph had made for them.

The pathway from the garden followed along the otter wall for a way and though it was farther down Xue Pan hoped that with such powerful Earthbenders as the Avatar and his Master they would be able to reach it all the same.

The others braced themselves in the hole Toph had made and tried to beat back the army while Xue Pan told Aang and Toph his idea. "I can feel the tunnels." Toph answered with a nod as they hunched behind the others and tried to figure out what needed to be done. Toph was more interested in fighting but her time with the group had taught her that in _real _battle—rather than combat in a ring with spectators—fighting wasn't always what was needed the most.

At times you needed healers, like Katara, and strategists like Sokka and Iroh—not that she would ever admit to Sokka that there was something more than just hilarity involved in _his _plans—and she agreed to help.

Aang had more finesse than power, something she had tried to fix when it came to his Earthbending but she supposed it was the curse of his learning Airbending first. Toph had the power of their trio and so she and Aang worked together once more, Toph took as much of the difficult and large chunks while Aang made certain she didn't crush the tunnel in her over-enthusiastic approach.

Zuko saw something flash out of the corner of his eye and just at that moment Katara unleashed a large water-whip with the whole of the small lake, he took a chance and looked just in time to see someone duck behind the sweep of the roof to their left. His eyes scanned over the other roofs and wondered who and what was hiding back there, and how many of them there were.

He quickly turned his attention back to the enemies he could see but his mind was elsewhere. It had been metal he saw flicker in the light of the sun and none of the Ba Sing Se soldiers seemed to have metal in their uniforms that would flash like that. Not even Xue Pan or Wu had had anything which could replicate that.

It was something he'd only seen on some Elite Fire Nation Soldiers.

Which, he realized with a sinking cold in his bones, Ozai would have probably allowed the King of Ba Sing Se as a sign of _Faith_and a way to keep an eye on things from a distance. His mind quickly cobbled together what little information he had while he continued to fight.

His mind, however, kept coming back to the same dreadful conclusion. That flash was from an arrow-tip and the only soldiers he knew with arrows and skill were the Yu Yan Archers(1). Which meant that Ozai would not only know precisely what was happening in this city, and with the Avatar and his friends, but that at any moment things were going to get much, much worse.

"Uncle!" He shouted over the din of the battle. Iroh knew far more about Fire Nation troops and might know what they could do about the problem. Zuko just wished he knew how many were hiding, not that it would be of much help. The Yu Yan were trained to fight to the death no matter what.

He wasn't certain if it were true or not but Zuko had heard tales that if their quarry escaped or they failed to follow commands with their legendary precision, they were expected to take their own life without thought.

Iroh glanced to his nephew out of the corner of his eye, taking a great chance in so fierce a battle. Seeing what was happening Katara took two steps forward and started dragging a wave twice the size of any man back and forth through the soldiers, trying to give Iroh and Zuko time to talk. Sweat was beading on her brow and her breath was dragging raggedly in and out of her throat but she was determined to keep fighting so long as her friends needed her. Sokka took a stance at her side, watching her back. That was the problem when she started bending such large amounts of water. She had to struggle so hard she could keep her mind only on offense or defense, she could not do both and that was where Sokka could be of help.

"Archers." Zuko hissed, trying to keep his eye on the entire expanse of the roof at once. Iroh didn't say anything but scanned the rooftops as well.

"I would not doubt that he would send his best." They did not need to use his name to both know that Iroh spoke of his brother.

"We're in! Come on!" Aang shouted from behind them. Zuko turned despite his better judgment and took a step toward the hole. Katara's skills could keep the guards back long enough for them to escape and Toph seemed ready already to seal the hole as quickly as it had been made.

He did not know what happened in that instant, only that he turned and then heard Iroh shout his name. A force struck him in the side hard enough to force the air from his lungs and knock him to the ground. Sokka shouted something unintelligible and Katara screamed, but he'd hit his head when he struck the ground and the wold dimmed until all that was left was the golden glow of the sun spinning dizzily far above him and then even that was gone.

* * *

**1 -- Yu Yaan Archers –**I've seen this spelled several ways, even Avatar Spirit, my go-to for all information Avatar-related has it listed with two different spellings. Yuu Yan and Yu Yan. (Elsewhere I've also seen Yuu Yaan and Yu Yaan) So I went by what my first instinct was as to its spelling and then I'm going to go check "The Blue Spirit" episode out with Captions on and see how they spell it. Unless one of you knows? I just wanted to alert you all to that because I was entirely confused out of my mind. But I do want to play with them some (what can I say? Robin Hood was my favorite story as a kid so I've a soft-spot for archers) so if the spelling of the name changes I wanted you to know why. :)

* * *

**Princess25-- **I am so sorry this came out late but hopefully that won't happen ever again. I do hope you're not too angry with me. It really was better to delete the old version of this chapter, I promise! 

**Bonnie -- **I really liked your idea about Metalbending and her thinking it's just something silly so I am going to try to include that, but even if I can't I think you're going to like what happens with her. I can't tell you how excited I am, I read your review and seriously called up one of my friends that has helped me plan this and practically screamed "Oh my god! Toph's mom should totally be able to metalbend!" Followed by jibbering as I was just too excited to form words. I do really hope I can include that because it is, just about, the most amazing thing ever. We got a little Katara-based Zutara from this chapter, sort of, but I promise that if you can be patient for just a little while longer you're going to get more. I don't dare promise what chapter it will be in, because sometimes I need to switch around what happens where for the flow of the story, but it is coming, I promise. Of course now it's all your fault because I'm far more excited about having Dai-yu metalbend than Zutara. I'm teasing, but thank you for an awesome review and a grand idea.

**AlinaAlone#1 --** Really it's not so hard as you might think. I am certain you could plan something as good as this if you tried. And I have had a lot of help from my friends so not all the credit goes to me!

**Shard -- **I am glad you like Toph's mom! I was a little worried about it but it ties back to my feeling that bending is genetic (I've another familia surprise if I can find some way to fit it in, though that one might not pan out) and it just sort of grew from there. I am thrilled so much by how many people seem to like her!

**Rynorean -- **I agree. But I think that when people don't understand a thing it is easier for them to brush it aside. He's not an Earthbender so he can't understand the joy and freedom that comes from something like that. But I can understand what you mean, I'm not certain I'd like him if I knew him in person either. I agree. Mako was amazing and he does have something just...in his voice that makes you think of a wise old man. The sort who always knows JUST what to say to make things better. It is ridiculously fun to write him.


	44. The Promise of a Peony

**Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it and welcome to an early and extra long chapter. Ps: the site is being kind of wonky, at least on my end of things, so someone be certain to drop me a notice if words get smushed together since that seems to be the thing I'm having to go through and fix as I add my author's note and review responses. Thanks! **

* * *

Zuko's head was aching sharply enough that he didn't open his eyes at first. He contemplated trying to go back to sleep and ignore the fact that he felt so whole-heartedly awful. 

"Well," Toph's normal voice seemed to be at least twice as loud and Zuko shifted and tried to ignore her without actually opening his eyes.

"He's not_ well_...but he'll pull through I think."

"You think? Come _on _Sweetness, just heal him!"

"You think I haven't tried Toph? The tip was poisoned. I can heal injuries and I can keep it from _killing him _but it's in his blood now. That's too advanced for me and it isn't as though there's anything more than _legends _to teach me how to do this!"

"What and you think_ every _Earthbender in the city was jumping to help me learn to see?"

"Guys!" Aang's voice was drawn and it was clear he was tired. As such he sounded more like a whining child than the Avatar trying to break up a fight. "Look Katara's trying her hardest and that's better than anyone else has been able to do. They were certain that he would die after a shot like that."

There was a long moment of silence where the arguing pair seemed to consider this.

"You were pretty great when you made it rain ice daggers." Toph conceded softly.

"Not half so great as you collapsing the whole palace right out from under them." Aang's sigh of relief was almost deafening and Zuko wondered if that was due to his aching head or to the young boy's airbending. He also wondered who they were talking about. Yu Yan archers were known to poison their arrows. It had originally started in Sozin's time before the war. Even before the War the Fire Nation had never been exactly peaceful.

The Yu Yan Archers had been taught to use darts or to miss with purpose. They would graze their victim and then the poison would take effect. With no arrow to connect the assassination to the Fire Nation most would write it off as an illness and nothing else.

Lazily and with no small amount of effort Zuko began to wonder who they were speaking about. He had seen the archers and would have suspected himself but that other than the headache he felt fine and from the way they were speaking the victim was in far worse shape.

No matter how much death would seem like a respite for his thrice cursed headache.

Sokka.

It came to him suddenly that Sokka would explain the edge in Katara's voice. Toph didn't have that same nervous edge, but she was quicker to become furious than normal and that was as close to worried as she came.

He wasn't certain that he agreed with Uncle about the Earthbender and Sokka but he supposed he could see it to a certain degree. Especially the way she had paced her small island and waited for news of him in the North Pole.

He groaned and shifted again, trying to sit up and alert the others that he was awake and ready to help with whatever needed doing. He would not admit it, but he _was _worried for Sokka and wanted to hear for himself just how the other man was doing. Iroh would probably help them understand the poison that the Yu Yan archers used and Sokka would be back to annoying them all in no time.

"Ssh!" Katara hissed, followed by the sounds of a soft struggle.

"What are you doing?" Toph asked. Katara spoke but he couldn't make out the words and then there was a light touch on his shoulders. He realized that she was helping him to sit up and while his eyes snapped open he didn't have the strength to pull away. As soon as he opened his eyes the room seemed to tilt and spin even though it remained still.

"Dizzy?" Katara asked, but her voice lacked the kindness it held normally and was instead professional, like the healers at the palace. He nodded and she narrowed her eyes in consideration before touching his forehead. "Head injuries will do that. They're very dangerous for that reason, you'll tell me if it changes?" Though it was phrased as a question he was fairly certain she would not accept a 'no' and chose not to answer at all. She seemed to accept his forced distance between them—for which he was grateful—and was merely here to act as a nurse.

"It's better now." He admitted.

"Good, you might have tried to sit up too quickly." She paused, her cold smile faltering and finally falling apart. "Zuko..." She hesitated and then collected herself, showing that same stubbornness she had in Qui-Gong. "There's something you need to know, about the battle. There were these warriors, with arrows."

"Yu Yan Archers." Zuko explained. "A small, elite division of the Fire Nation Army." She blinked and nodded, taking this in and then moving on with her story.

"They fired a shot at you. Iroh..." She swallowed hard. "pushed you out of the way and the arrow lodged into his side, just under his arm. We managed to get you both away and heal Iroh but we didn't know anything about the archers and noticed the poison too late. I can ease the symptoms as they crop up and help him beat it but he is weak, and in danger." Katara explained, finishing finally and staring at Zuko with that same cold look she had held since he woke.

"I want to see him." Zuko said, struggling to throw his legs over the edge of the bed.

"No." Katara hissed, her voice brooked no arguments.

"Yes."

"_No. _You might _feel _fine but you cracked your thick skull open when you hit the ground. Even with two healers--" She didn't mention that they were of little help without any power beyond knowledge, "to help me you nearly _died._"

"He is _family_." Zuko sneered the word out, knowing how much family meant to Katara and certain that he could change her mind just by dropping that little word into the conversation.

"You're unwell." She stumbled to a stop but she was clearly angry at the underhanded way he'd tried to change her mind. She decided to plow on and damn the consequences. "You're weak, you can barely stand and what help will you be to Iroh? None! All you'll do is work him up and worry him needlessly. He is _old _Zuko, you have to accept that and the added stress worrying about you is not something he needs. I will _post a guard _to this room if I have to but you are not leaving!"

Zuko seethed and struggled to his feet, flames—orange--bursting to life around his fists for one precious moment before he collapsed. Katara caught him, trembling with barely repressed rage and dumped him gracelessly into the cot he'd vacated. She stomped to the door of the small closet of a room and shouted into the hallway. Two guards in Earthbending green appeared at her call and she put them both into the room, nearly filling it.

"If he tries to leave that bed, stop him. He's so stubborn I'm certain you can't kill him so use strength if you must but do send for a healer as well." Katara commanded.

"Insolent Waterbending peasant_!" _Zuko roared.

"Spoiled selfish _brat!" _She shot back without a moment of hesitation. She tore open the metal door and slammed with with a resounding clang that startled even Zuko's guards.

He turned onto his side and presented them with his back. The nerve of her to tell him he was _useless_. He _knew _Iroh was old and _that _was why he was so worried for the old man.

_Still, she was probably the most skilled healer in the world with the advantage her Waterbending offered._ Zuko was so surprised by the thought he actually flinched. The internal voice that had always been his father's telling him how miserable he was and all the ways that Zuko wasn't good enough was softer now, and sounded remarkably like Iroh.

That was no excuse, he was quick to remind himself. He was not weak nor was he useless. How many other Firebenders bent white fire?

_You cannot sit without being dizzy. You are injured and so, for now, weak. That is all she meant. _The Iroh-voice was soft and gentle, just like the real Iroh.

Whom he might not get a chance to see again because that uneducated, dirty peasant wouldn't let him leave this room.

He didn't even need to listen to the voice of reason to know how false that statement rang. She wasn't uneducated. He had been taught certain things and she had been taught different things. They did not know the _same _things but that did not make _either_ of them stupid. He felt like he should be furious with her, and he_wanted _to be furious at her—it would certainly make pushing her away easier—but it took all his willpower to hang on to that anger; and even what scraps he maintained seemed empty.

Katara, for her part, made it three steps away from the door to Zuko's rooms—There was a large complex built underground in Ba Sing Se, which had once been a place for the royal family and whomever could make it to escape into should their wall be breached—before she felt guilty. She had been angry with him for being so distant recently and she had been worn thin worrying over Iroh and doing her very best to save him.

When Zuko had shouted she'd taken all her frustration and fear and everything out on him and that had been cruel. She cared for Iroh but Zuko loved him, and Zuko was injured for that matter. He was barely able to sit up in his bed and that had to be difficult for someone so proud.

She contemplated turning around and apologizing, but decided against it and rushed ahead to Iroh's rooms. She had been wrong but if Zuko could focus on being furious with her...he might not worry for Iroh. And he needed to rest and relax too.

She feared that she would have nightmares for years to come about helping Toph carry Zuko into the underground. Iroh had been too heavy so Sokka and Xue Pan had worked together to carry _him_. Zuko had been far less injured but there had been so much blood and peeking out from the gash over his uninjured eye had been the white of bone.

Before Katara knew the true extent of Iroh's injuries she had thrown everything she had into healing Zuko's injury, crying out of exhaustion at some points. _I will not let him have another scar! _She had chanted to herself over and over.

When she moved to Iroh she'd realized her mistake almost instantly. The resistance fighters were trained in military medicine like her father. Yugoda had called it "quick and dirty" medicine, just enough to keep those who could fighting and those who couldn't alive.

Katara, being a trained healer, had seen their errors and with a prayer to Yue she had pulled out the water from the Spirit Oasis.

She'd felt the _wrongness _of the wound as soon as she touched it. She had wretched instantly, staining the front of her dress which was still sticky with Zuko's blood. She'd called for help though really even the most well-trained could only follow her directions rather than do anything of their own. They'd dragged the arrow out and Katara had healed the wound. She only knew how to deal with natural illnesses and so she'd fought the poison as best that she could, finding that if she tackled each effect as it came she could give Iroh enough strength to work the poison out of his body naturally.

Even if she had been able to send a message to Yugoda she was certain that it wouldn't even _reach _the North before it was too late, let alone allow Yugoda to respond. Katara sat at Iroh's side and helped fight back the fever that had been ebbing in and out as best that she could. His room was larger than Zuko's she had insisted and a cot had been moved in for her as well.

She cared about Zuko, she could not deny that even if she wasn't certain about the extent of her feelings or their worth now that he ignored her, but Iroh was in far worse shape. When she did sleep it was light and fitful and she woke at every tiny noise, grunt, and moan that the ailing man let escape. It had been a little less than half a day but while Zuko had woken—_long enough for them to fight, _she thought ruefully—Iroh hadn't even come close and that worried her.

She collapsed into her small cot after his fever finally abated once more. For a long moment she lay there breathing in and out slowly and willing sleep to come simply so that she could rest and do it all again in the morning.

Or what passed for morning when one was underground.

* * *

**I know you were (mostly) all looking forward to Zuko having been hit with that arrow and getting a kind of nurse/patient thing, but I promise you're going to like why it's Iroh who was injured. You've trusted me this far so trust me just a little longer:) (Though I know one of you already figured out the surprise I'm going to reveal even if I didn't tell you that you were right. )**

**Aly --** I am glad you like it so much as all that and enjoy the pacing to boot! That's grand news in my mind and hopefully I can keep up the high standards I seem to have set for myself!

**Princess25** -- As for the chapter titles I am going to, at the end of this story, post a chapter with the meanings behind them, but I have been convinced to post them a couple at a time over on my Livejournal if you're curious. They all have a little meaning toward what happens in that chapter so there won't be any spoilers. Don't worry about seeming demanding! I was just excited to hear you were that interested in seeing the next chapter.

**Dark Wolf on a Full Blood** -- Well now you know what happened. Hopefully you enjoyed it and can wait until next week for the next installment without too much trouble. :)

**Bonnie** -- Well I'm glad it cleared up enough for your taste! And it really was a good idea, at least I think so!

**Shard** -- Hopefully that clears up some of the things you were left wondering about! I am glad you enjoyed the previous chapter so much and hopefully you will like this one just as much.

**AlinaAlone#1 **-- I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! That's always grand news to hear!

**Ree **-- Well, now you know what happened! Hopefully it won't leave more questions than it answers and you'll be able to enjoy it. As for Zuko...well he's getting there. Hopefully he'll continue to stay away from the area of being an emo pansy ass.

**Rynorean** -- Well, it's Friday now! Hopefully I didn't make you wait too long. And I love the archers so I'm glad to hear you're enjoying them as well and they are really fun to play with.


	45. Peony's Secrets

**Well...this is actually chapter 45a. Sorry, planning for the next semester and Grad Schools and all that junk. But come on you all are so nice to me I'm certain none of you will mind too terribly since this one doesn't even end on a cliffhanger really.**

**Also you will all hear my scream no matter where you are if this reaching 500 reviews.**

* * *

Katara woke to a shout and she was on her feet and ready to fight before she even realized it. It took her a moment to still her heart—which felt as though it would burst out of her chest—and then another to realize that Iroh was having a nightmare, which seemed to be an effect of the poison. He had thrashed in his sleep and shouted before though she had found early on that she could not wake him. All she could do was worry and try to keep him from harming himself. 

As she drew closer to check his bandages—his feverish thrashing had a habit of undoing them—he sat straight up in bed and looked at her. It was clear that he was only half-awake and still lost within the twisted realm of his nightmare, but he stared at her with misty-golden eyes and a look of such pain that she stumbled back as though he'd struck her. "Ursa..." He whispered, reaching out for her, tears trailed hot over his cheeks and Katara drew closer, heartened that he had enough energy to sit even if he was not fully awake. "Ursa...I tried."

Katara knew that Iroh had been married. He'd told them stories about his son and wife as they traveled and later Sokka had learned from Zuko that Lu Ten had died and that was why Iroh never conquered Ba Sing Se. Katara couldn't recall if Iroh had ever told them his wife's name but as he fell back into bed murmuring "Ursa" in that same, pained voice she wondered what had happened to her, Iroh had never spoken much of his wife, even in all his stories.

She pulled the vial of Spirit Water out from under her shirt and uncorked it, drawing out the water that seemed to sing in her veins as she bent it. There had never been much but it was powerful, she had felt it when she used it on Iroh. Normally water turned sluggish and hard to control when she tried to heal with it and the healing process was slow. Yugoda had explained that when Katara healed her own hands that first time it had been so easy because she had not known she could do it.

_Zhi blessed you with the gift of healing. It waited dormant within you until you were ready for it, Zhi healed through you that first time, to teach you of your powers. Now you must learn to harness the power on your own._

When she used the water from the Spirit Oasis she could feel her own bending intensify. The same had happened when she used it to fight Zuko. It was like bending under a full moon; the power came so easily at her call.

After healing the torn muscles and flesh of Iroh's side there wasn't even a mouthful left. She would have given it all if she could return the old man to perfect health. She returned it to the bottle with a flick of her wrist and corked it once more, finally falling back into her rickety cot. At least his dreams seemed to have eased a little.

* * *

_The Lieutenant General of the Fire Nation Army had long since retired from actually being in the field during battle. He was a Master Firebender and Fire Lord Azulon had commanded him to stay in the Capital and train the most promising of troops. Jeong Jeong always did have an eye for true talent..._

The princes themselves were said to train with him, which many supposed to be the real reason the Lieutenant General had been recalled from the war. In truth he had wished to return home when word of his wife's death had reached him. It was true that his daughter had been granted a place of honor in the Royal Fire Bending Academy for Girls, and needed no real chaperon as such. But he asked Azulon to allow him to stay in the Capital and offered instead to train new, elite squads of soldiers to deal with the resistance of the Earth Nation and Water Tribe.

Azulon had agreed only because it suited his purposes to have such a prominent tutor for his sons and his military.

As such, he became a regular installment at Azulon's dinner table, along with his sons and his Ministers and Advisors. When school was no longer in session his daughter was invited to join him and that was how the prince first met Ursa.

She was not like the few women he knew, she was as quiet as they were and demure but there was a tiny glint of mischief in her eye. When he stumbled upon her in the Palace Library she had been playing Pai Sho and with no partner to be found she'd resorted to playing herself. She had, of course, made herself scarce when the prince walked into the room, leaving her game half-played on the board.

Iroh had been enchanted with her from the first time they'd been seated together at dinner. Women were to keep to themselves unless singled out and he had noticed that her eyes were not downcast to be coy, but rather she had a small novel tucked in her lap.

Afterward he'd inquired what she had been reading and in and instant her porcelain face had flushed as red as the silk of her gown. "I am not insulted my lady." He assured her with a chuckle. "Merely curious. Myself, I often convince the servants to sneak an Earth Nation adventure story into my private library." She had calmed at that admission. Foreign literature was meant to be banned, especially from the palace. While he could get her in trouble should he alert anyone to her reading at the Fire Lord's table, now she had something of equal weight against him.

Even if he _was_ Azulon's favored son.

They had circled the Royal Gardens for nearly and hour discussing books and the dull tedium of political affairs. When at last a servant came to alert them that her father was looking for her she had left with a bow, but her eyes never left his and from that moment he had been lost to her.

When he found out that she often played Pai Sho in the small garden of her home—near enough to walk if Iroh wished it—he had endeavored to teach himself the game, though he had never had much love for it before when tutors tried to instruct him in the rules.

He drove even the most patient of his tutors mad with his determination to master a game he had little skills in but they did not dare tell him to give up.

Even as a young man of five and twenty he was already destined to be a great warrior and a worthy king—Jeong Jeong had gone so far as to recommend him to the Fire Nation Army. Azulon was not keen on allowing his first-born to risk his life in battle but he could not deny the young man anything.

Still, Iroh's military strategy was to approach problems head-on with an impressive show of force, while Pai Sho required one to approach problems sideways at times, or even to give ground before taking it again.

It took him an entire season but he became proficient enough in the game that he felt comfortable challenging Ursa to a game one sunny afternoon when she was home from the Academy. She bested him soundly and with little effort. He was sorely disappointed and certain that he bungled the endeavor entirely, until she had pulled her little stool over to his side of the board and spent the rest of the afternoon—and well into evening—showing him where he'd gone wrong in the game.

He did not beat her, but he got close to it before they were forced to part for the night. She even promised to play him again. She was filled with ideas of peace between the nations rather than dominance and as they spent more and more time together she stopped being so shy and silent and started talking.

And though the ideas were dangerous and things that Iroh had been taught to hate, when she talked about them, they seemed possible...right even.

They spent a whole year together, whenever they could get the chance to be away from their duties they could be found in a corner of the library playing Pai Sho and talking about books while they drank tea or feeding the turtleducks in the gardens.

Iroh didn't realize how much he had come to depend on Ursa as a balancing force in his life against the cruel blood lust of his father and brother until the day of the Winter Solstice. That was the day that his father informed him of the marriage petition he'd been entered into with the Mayor of a small southern village's daughter: Tsai.

Iroh hadn't, at first, understood the deep pain that filled him and the way his heart seemed to drop out of his chest and run far away. He came to understand that he loved Jeong Jeong's daughter, though he did not know what could be done. Azulon had chosen Tsai and she had accepted—what girl would not accept the hand of the rightful heir to the Fire Nation throne?

He married her as his father wished and felt, almost instantly, the sudden rift torn between himself and Ursa.

He could not face his meek wife who believed in the Fire Nation's rule rather than peace and never argued with him. She did not even play Pai Sho.

He spent the required time touring the country for his honeymoon and then left for the battlefield, earning praise and distinction. He got word of his wife's pregnancy only a few months after his departure and while he wrote her a handful of letters he insisted that for the glory of the Fire Nation it was not possible for him to return.

His son Lu Ten was born soon enough and he returned for a fortnight to meet his son who would carry on his bloodline. He spent time with his family but whenever he saw Ursa or Jeong Jeong...or any other of a hundred little things he was reminded of what he longed for even now.

He knew it was improper and he wished that he could love his wife as she deserved, but he could only long for Ursa and so he kept away as much as he could manage and raised quickly in the ranks of the military as he pressed forward through the Earth Kingdom.

It was there that he came upon the group of rebels who taught him that peace was possible.

Ursa had planted the ideas in his head, but he hadn't thought it possible—how could it be after so long at war—but here he saw that it could work. The Four Nations had been at peace once and it could be that way again.

When he was returned again to the Fire Nation army he received word that while he had been captured by the rebels—he didn't try to point out that they were the ones who had saved him—his wife had died.

He returned as soon as he could to mourn her and met Ursa in their private corner of the library. Having realized how close he came to losing her without ever telling her how he felt. He admitted to her that he loved her and found she loved him in return.

They planned to marry as soon as the mourning period was over. Azulon could not deny Iroh the bride of his choice for his second marriage. Jeong Jeong was away and no one expected Iroh to attend dinners so there was no one to tear Ursa and Iroh apart when the time grew late.

Iroh was forced to return to the battlefield before his mourning period had ended. The Water Tribe had nearly taken the large port town of Yan'an and they needed all the support they could get. For a long while their small encampment was cut off from communication with the Capital and when they had surprised the attack and restored the city to what it had once been Iroh got word that in his absence Ursa had accepted the proposal that Azulon entered on behalf of Ozai, they had been married and she was already with his child.

He had thought, once, that nothing could replicate the pain of when he had learned that he had to marry someone other than Ursa. The knowledge that she had chosen someone else over him was worse than any injury he'd ever sustained.

* * *

**Princess25** -- Never worry about sounding repetitive I feel a bit repetitive when I keep thanking you all so very, very much:) I don't mind if you don't. 

**Amayadono** -- I do have a beta and I would much rather she had the time to go over this story, but I'm terrible at keeping up doing things and I want to improve on keeping a schedule and writing a certain amount every day. Since she works much harder than I she doesn't have the time necessary. That sounds like a terrible excuse and I'm sorry for that...but I have (from this) learned to write the story out in it's entirety before posting it so I've time to have it looked over by a beta or two. I'm sorry it knocks you out of the story, I know how annoying that is. But I am learning a lot from this experience. I'm even getting the hang of semicolons (that only took me what? twenty years? heh). Besides, and I don't think this helps at all with your actual point, but doing it this way and making my own mistakes and having people point them out and help me is teaching me to not make so many mistakes. I mean sure I still get the occasional "teh" or "Befor ethe" kind of thing but I am getting a little better.

**Shard** -- Heh, I'm glad you like it so far! You're always so kind to me. As for Zuko...well he has proved that he can learn so here's hoping he figures it out. :)

**Bonnie** -- Well, I'm sorry, it wasn't Zutara. But hopefully you liked the surprise all the same? I loved the last chapter too so it's grand to hear someone liked it as much as I did!

**Rynorean** -- It is serious but so long as you aren't laughing at the terrible writing you can laugh. I know sometimes I find humor in odd places too. And he is ridiculously stubborn isn't he? I can hardly fault you for finding something I wanted to point out. :) No spoils, but I do adore Iroh immensely. And thanks for checking out the formatting. I don't know why but sometimes the HTML won't take and words mush together.

**Aly** -- I always make the time to respond when you take the time to review! It's the very least I can do to thank you for reading. As for Iroh, well I tried to make it clear in the previous chapter, I guess I missed the mark a bit, that he pushed Zuko out of the way of the arrow and that's why Zuko was fine and Iroh got hurt.


	46. Peony's Secrets Part Two

**Part B is finally here! Yay! Rawr and all that. Okie dokie. So, exams. I am going to try really, really, really, really hard to post next Friday but I don't think it will work. My fingers are crossed that I'm gonna be able to post while I'm hopping around for Christmas. Sorry for the suck of that. **

**Anyway, I'm sorry in advance for next week, but hopefully this chapter can last you until then. I feel wretched especially when you've been so kind to give me 500+ reviews and the first thing I do is turn around and miss a deadline. I suck. Thanks very much for understanding though, (Hopefully you do) and I'll see you as soon as I can manage. **

* * *

He returned to the Capital when his nephew was born, though the last thing he wanted was to see the child his brother had with the woman Iroh loved. He avoided them as much as possible and spent most of his time in the gardens. It was as close to winter as the Fire Nation came, but he was so used to the climate of the Earth Kingdom that the chill in the air barely registered with him. Even if it _had _that was one of the first things a young bender learned, keeping himself warm in the cold.

The turtleducks weren't out but he stared at the water all the same, the still waters acting easily as a mirror when someone came up behind him.

"Congratulations." He murmured, struggling to sound like he meant it. "A marriage and a son all within a short time." He'd meant to say more but couldn't work the words past the lump in his throat. He fell into silence and didn't even bother to complain when Ursa seated herself beside him.

For a long time they were silent.

"I was married eight months ago Iroh." She murmured. He did not look at her and he tried, with all hist might, to ignore that soft voice he'd fallen in love with.

"I couldn't get away until now. I think the fact that I was a prisoner of war should excuse me for missing your wedding." He muttered. He had not told anyone the truth of his time with the rebels. The only one who would have believed him, maybe even understood, was Ursa and she was not his. He had no reason to share his secrets with her.

"No, Iroh." She whispered shifting so she was kneeling beside him and cupping his cheek in one hand. "I was married a month after you left me. I waited for you and the petition came from your father on behalf of Ozai and..." Her hand dropped to her side and she stood, putting her back between them as though she were trying to defend herself against some unseen force. "It was the first time in all my years that I missed a cycle. You had been captured, they said you were _dead, _Iroh, and I did what I thought was right. I will not ask forgiveness. I did not know you still lived and in that situation I would _always_ make the choice I did. I would have waited had I known better though. I do not deny that."

He had stopped listening after a point and jumped, now, to his feet.

"Ursa..." All the regret and betrayal that had festered in his voice before was gone.

"I think Ozai suspects. But he would never admit it so you need not worry about your reputation."

There were a thousand things, maybe a hundred thousand, that he was desperate to say, to tell her. He wanted to beg her forgiveness and embrace her and maybe even work out a way that they could be together, _a family._ Though he was a boy of seven Lu Ten already enjoyed spending time with the infant prince—or so Iroh had heard. The point was Lu Ten would probably be ecstatic and even if Iroh had not loved his wife as he loved Ursa, he adored his son...

His_oldest _son. The thought brought a grin to his face that stretched from ear to ear.

Ursa turned and faced him, her eyes filled with tears and for a moment Iroh moved to wipe them away, but his hand froze in mid-air.

He realized all at once that such thoughts were nothing but a flight of fancy on the part of an addled soldier. They were married, Ursa and Ozai, and the only thing that could break that bond was the death of one of the two. He _had _lost Ursa, and there was no way he could find anything more than a nephew in her little son.

"His name is Zuko." Ursa said, tugging out of the gentle grip he had on her arm. With her head held high she walked away, as graceful as she had been that first time they walked around this very garden.

Later, when Azula was born and Ozai began to care less and less for Zuko when his daughter was clearly the only one of worth in his mind, Ursa had come to Iroh seeking help. They talked with a cool politeness when they met on rare occasions, but otherwise kept their distance. Ozai never left the capital—more interested in leading troops than fighting beside them—and Iroh did not want Ursa if she was not his and his alone.

But one evening he received a letter begging him to help her. Ozai was becoming twisted, and his daughter was following him down that road. Greedy and power-hungry she was always being berated in school for torturing younger or weaker girls and even Zuko—who had for a long while been her adored older brother—could not reach her, and being a quiet and withdrawn boy he did not try. He was instead a principal target of Azula's cruel jibs and pranks.

Ursa did not know what to do, but she knew that she did not want her son to follow the same path. She begged Iroh to help, to act as a balancing force against Ozai. She was Zuko's mother and he sought comfort from her, but he did not try to mimic her as he tried to mimic Ozai. He wanted Ozai to accept and love him the way Ursa did, and she feared that Ozai would never care much for the boy.

Iroh agreed, not just because he loved her, not just because he felt that he owed her, but he cared for the young boy. Zuko was quiet and he did not excel at anything in particular, even when he threw all of his heart into it. Iroh started spending more time at the palace, walking with Zuko and teaching him Firebending at a slower pace—the Royal Instructors had been ordered to shape him up at all costs, they pushed him harder the more he failed fearing for their own jobs. He even began to help Zuko with other lessons, such as politics and history, two things that Zuko seemed to enjoy even if he had little ability to remember when he was quizzed.

He was constantly worried about displeasing his father and so when it came time to prove whatever he had begun to understand he would become nervous and freeze up. Iroh and Ursa both tried to help him with this but it seemed as though it would stick with him for the rest of his life simply because he was so desperate to prove his worth to Ozai.

He did not get to speak to her before she faced Azulon—knowing well that whether she won or lost she would die—but she wrote him a letter that he would only find later. He only dared to read it once before he burned it to ashes—and in his paranoia spread the ashes the first windy day they had—but she begged him to protect Zuko.

With her gone nothing stood between him and Ozai—whom she was certain knew very well that Zuko was not _his _son. She wasn't certain, though, if he knew that Iroh was the father. Iroh had failed at Ba Sing Se and lost Lu Ten, he retired officially from the military and took up full-time residence under the new Lord: Ozai.

Ozai, Iroh knew, would have enjoyed kicking Iroh out or forcing him back to the battlefield, simply to spite the older man. But the public knew that Iroh returned seeking a place in the palace and though Ozai was Lord many of them had fought _beside _Iroh and when he had been deposed in favor of Ozai there had been a good chance of Civil War.

Iroh managed to talk the people out of the idea, offering speech after speech that he wanted little to do with ruling and playing on the premature grey of his hair as a sign of him being old. He explained he wanted to watch his niece and nephew grow up and wanted to live at peace for a while.

There was not a Civil War but Ozai did not dare force Iroh out of the palace, no matter how much he wished it.

Iroh felt he was doing a good job, honoring Ursa's wishes of him and of Zuko and Zuko himself seemed to be gaining confidence and even doing better in his lessons, Firebending included.

He did not take the disappearance of his mother well, and the lack of a funeral gave the young boy hope that _maybe she was still alive! _Which broke Iroh's heart every time he heard it. When Zuko had shown an interest in entering the War Room Iroh had, deep inside, known better. Zuko would not be pleased when he saw the sort of man his_ father_really was. The sort of man who sent troops to their deaths on a whim and without any care at all. Still, he had wanted to do _something _ for the boy, he spoiled Zuko because he didn't know what else he could do.

Zuko was _his _son, but no one knew that. And he was a father who had already buried one son and so wished to cling to the other. But he couldn't.

So he allowed Zuko in, and when Zuko was scared, Iroh blamed himself.

He loved Zuko and he would not let him travel the world alone, but that had only been part of the reason. In many ways it was a self-imposed exile in atonement for the numerous sins Iroh had weighing down his soul.

He had tried so hard, and he knew...just as he had known to tell Zuko to give up for now on entering the War Room, he knew that he'd failed Ursa.

The only thing she had ever asked of him and he had failed. Failed her, and failed Zuko. It broke his heart and plagued his nightmares.

* * *

Katara was changing the bandage on a smaller injury on Iroh's leg when he woke. The whole of the group—minus Zuko who was still locked in his room and still not speaking to her, though that might be because she'd locked him in there in the first place—had barely allowed her to heal both Iroh and Zuko and so they had finally relented when the rebel medics nearly killed Iroh but she wasn't allowed to heal anything that wasn't life-threatening.

"And I'll know if you're lying!" Toph had threatened. Katara had been unhappy but she agreed all the same. They were only acting that way because they were worried for her and she could not blame them for that when so much of her own time was spent worrying for _them_.

Still she itched to heal whatever she could.

Iroh jerked awake and for a moment wondered if he was on the battlefield once more. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from him before he realized it was her. Katara—having helped with the rebel soldiers when she could spare the time—had learned quickly to deal with soldiers coming back to themselves, so she kept her arm limp and spoke in a calm voice, telling Iroh where he was and a little of what had happened.

He let her go instantly and laughed it off, even if the laugh was reedy thin and strained.

"Don't worry about it." Katara told him, with a smile. She was just grateful that he was finally awake and coherent. "I am just glad you're awake!" She laughed a little breathlessly, "You scared me a couple of times." She told him, her voice a little more serious.

"You should have more faith in yourself than that. You're the greatest healer I've ever known and I'm sure I could not have been in finer hands." Katara let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. He was well enough to be back to his complimentary and teasing self, that was a better sign than anything else and she felt relief wash over her.

"You were poisoned by that arrow you took for Zuko. He was not happy about _that _by the way." Katara told him, hands on her hips and her best matronly nurse look plastered over her face. Iroh had the sense to look cowed.

"I suppose it would be hoping too much to assume he didn't give you any trouble."

"I think a saber-toothed moosebear with a cavity might have been a better patient." She told him, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably. The joke wasn't even terribly funny but she could have laughed herself sick she was so grateful that Iroh was better.

After they laughed she explained that Zuko had been lightly injured—she did not mention how, Iroh didn't need to know and he assumed that it was merely a cause of the battle—and she had been forced to put guards outside his room to ensure he did not leave.

Before she even realized it she was telling him about their shouting match and even odder that she had been grateful just because he'd ceased to ignore her. She was certain it was only because of how tired she was and a symbol of how much stress she had been under but she began to cry then and there. Iroh was, as usual, very kind and he had her sit on the edge of the bed and for the first time since she had left home someone held her as she cried. They didn't try to make her feel better or ask what was wrong, he just held her and let her cry until she couldn't any more.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice rasping just a little.

"I cannot imagine what you have been through. Even the strongest of us need to have moments of weakness and I can clearly see you have spent far too much time being a pillar of strength to the others." He told her, his voice gentle and serious.

She washed her face in the small bowl of water, checked Iroh over and proclaimed he needed at least another day of rest before she would allow him to be up and around—he had only been out four days, sure assured him when he began to protest. And then, with her back straight, her eyes clear and all signs of her crying fit abolished she went to see Zuko and tell him that his uncle was awake and...if Zuko could leave when he was told and be _polite _she would let him go and talk to Iroh.

* * *

**Princess25 -- **Really there is no need to worry about when you review! I just like it when people enjoy the story!

**Shard -- ** Well you guessed it, but hopefully you liked this anyway. :)

**Rynorean-- **You are so patient with me I hardly deserve it, but I could really use the break for exams I gotta say (maybe Iroh can come and write the chapter for me:) )


	47. Author's Note Chapter Preview!

**WAIT! WARNING! READ! **

** Hi, now I've got your attention. Below you will find a _preview_**** of the new chapter since Fanfiction won't allow just a chapter of an author's note. I do have some important stuff to talk about.**

** My friend and I are going on a road-trip to see our Grad School choices and visit families and stuff. I will be without internet so unfortunately there will be no updates until the new year. I know I'm wretched and terrible and a bad person. But with exams, and now planning for this trip there just hasn't been enough time for this.**

** I feel really wretched about it and I know you're all going to be far too nice to me but I will see you in the new year!**

** (And please, don't feel like you have to review this paltry little blip! I'm going to post the proper chapter and I'd much rather you're too nice to me over something I actually worked hard on rather than a note and a handful of paragraphs.)**

** PS: Whee! I'm actually getting really excited about Grad School!**

** PPS: I'm going to have almost two weeks at home to myself before school actually starts, so I promise I'm going to catch up and really, really will finally get a bumper built up so this will never happen again! I might even have time to have a proper Beta look the chapters over before hand! So freakin' awesome. **

* * *

* * *

Katara knew the worn-stone pathways so well by this point that she was fairly certain she could have walked them with her eyes closed. She was as anxious as any of them to be on their way but the couldn't leave Ba Sing Se without troops to fight in the battle and the King had made it clear that _he _would_not _be helping them. Katara hoped that Iroh would be able to come up with a plan now that he was feeling better because they were all set on edge from the long bout of idleness. Toph and Sokka were handling it a little better, Toph was training the few Earthbenders that the resistance had, trying to teach them to sense vibrations like she did. Sokka was just excited to be around other non-benders.

Katara often forgot how hard it had been being the only bender in a group of non-benders and now the positions were switched. She only hoped that Sokka didn't feel as much as the odd Koalaotter out that she had often felt like.

Zuko was meditating when she entered the room, the small light of the gas lamp growing and shrinking with every drawn and released breath. "You're doing much better." She told him, startled by a large number of things that were left unsaid but even more started by the calm look he shot her and the tiny twitch of his mouth that might have been a smile.

Her stomach gave an unexpected flutter that she chalked up to her near-breakdown moments before. Or nerves at the idea of trying to keep Zuko calm when she conveyed the news that Iroh was awake.

"Here to check up on me? You'll notice I have neither baked the guards to a crisp, nor have I tried to escape." Zuko said and Katara—reeling from the shock of Zuko joking with her like they were friends—wondered if he knew how much he sounded like Iroh.


	48. Something to Fight For

**Okay stick with me for a minute I got a lot of stuff to say and then you can enjoy (hopefully) the new chapter. **

**I have held off posting new chapters far too long, but I hope none of you hate me too terribly for it. I really have not lost my inspiration/place/plot or anything, I just had a lot of stuff crammed into not a lot of time. So no worries. The story is still slowly devouring my soul (in a good way) and I won't give it up until I get to type those little words "the end" at the bottom. **

**Now the important news:**

**I know that I'm the one who has been pushing a schedule not any of my readers. Though I do know a lot of you enjoy it, you've made it clear that you can do without and I shouldn't worry so much. Okay with this in mind I'm going to revoke my promise of weekly updates. But wait, I'm still going to TRY to update weekly, or at least close to weekly. But with classes starting again and a whole new schedule I'm sure several of you realize there's that uncertain feeling of "What WILL my free time be like." I know when I'm in class and not, but I'm not certain about the work load so the schedule (or lack-there-of) will be a fluid concept for a while. I'll keep you guys posted, certainly, on what's going on with it.**

**Furthermore now that we've got all the players and it's a matter of getting them TO the Fire Nation and dealing with the actual fight the chapters might become longer. I know this one just wouldn't END when I was writing it. So we might have fewer updates with longer chapters...At this point I don't know but like I said, I'll keep you posted. **

**I promise, in spite of all this uncertainty, that I will alert you if I'm taking a break to do something or other that will keep me from actively posting. And I also promise that there will be AT LEAST an update a month. I know some of the best stories have lost MY attention because no matter how grand the chapters are there is far too much time between each update. So that won't be a problem with me. I like to hope that there will be more updates than THAT but, this is just a promise of the bare minimum. So yeah. Now that I've bored you all to death you can go ahead and enjoy the chapter. **

**Thanks very much, again, for being so very patient with me. The end of the semester was a bit stressful and it was more nice than I realized to be able to sit back, take a break and not worry about anything. **

* * *

Aang had taken to waiting outside of Iroh's room whenever he could spare time, hoping for even a glimpse of Katara on the rare occasions when she left—even if it was to go check on Zuko or any of the other injured who needed a better doctor than the rebel forces could offer. 

Generally he had to leave before he saw anything of her, but that did not deter him and today that dogged persistence paid off and he nearly jumped for joy when Katara closed the door softly behind herself. She still had not seen the exuberant young Avatar she was so lost in her own world.

"Katara!" Aang shouted, his excitement getting the better of him. Not that he worried too much. Sokka's cold and aloof method(1) had never been terribly successful in Aang's mind and he wasn't about to miss the first chance he had at speaking to Katara in several days. Far too often as late she had been too busy for him or he had been too busy for her and he was, truth be told, quite sick of that.

"Aang!" His name was more of a gasp than anything else and a hand raised to her chest as though to make certain her heart hadn't actually leapt out of her chest. "You scared me!" She tried to scold him, but she couldn't repress the smile. Aang's grin was so infectious and her mood was so much lighter now that Iroh was awake that she couldn't hep but smile just as brightly in return. Even if he had terrified her. Of course, seeing her smile at him only made Aang's smile that much wider.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you're avoiding me!" He teased her, accepting the hug she offered him like a dying man in the desert accepts a mouthful of water. She had that sharp scent of medicine and soap clinging to her. Aang hated when she smelled like that. It reminded him of illness and suffering. It was better when she'd just stepped off Appa and smelled a bit of air and sunlight. Even when she smiled of leather oil and water it was better than that Healer's Smell.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, patting his thin shoulder and motioning he should follow her down the hall. He would have followed her to the Spirit World if she'd wished it. "I've been so busy and Sokka is acting like a worried old grandmother. I keep telling him I'm recovered from the North Pole but..." She sighed and shrugged. "He's so pigheaded he won't hear it no matter who tells him. Which makes healing go so much slower." She explained.

"You could have died Katara, or lost your bending entirely." Aang pointed out, feeling a cold twist of worry in his stomach. He'd been infinitely grateful when Sokka had spoken out against Katara pushing herself too hard to heal Zuko and Iroh. With Sokka watching out for her Aang could, instead, be the one she came to in order to complain rather than her complaining about him for hindering her. She was unimaginably stubborn when she wanted to be. He liked that about her normally, just not when it meant he might lose her again.

"I know." She sighed heavily. "And I appreciate him being concerned, I really do! But it's just so hard to remember that when I know I could heal someone in a third of the time it ends up taking me." Aang smiled sadly at her and she nudged his shoulder with hers and laughed. "But enough about me, how have you been doing while I'm busy? I know you've not been practicing your Waterbending or Firebending." She teased, giving him that kindly smile he actually hated just a little bit.

When she smiled at him like that it was more like a mother smiling at a child and that was certianly not what Aang wanted her to think of him as. Aunt Wu might have foretold no love in his future but she'd said that he could make his own future and he wanted to make one with Katara. Not as friends, or the almost mother-child relationship she sometimes had with Toph, but as lovers.

"We've been organizing troops. The rebels have a huge network of people but it's probably not going to be enough. Sokka thinks we'd need every able fighter in Ba Sing Se to even have a slim chance." Aang sighed. "The only problem is the King's Guards are still looking for us, Toph and the other Earthbenders are trying to keep them off our trail but that will only work for so long. I just don't know what to do." He admitted finally. His good mood vanishing like morning mist before the afternoon sun.

"Don't worry Aang. You're the Avatar, you're destined to save everyone and everyone has faith in you to do just that." She smiled and tilted her head to the side, stopping in their trek through the stone hallway. "My father used to say that it wasn't how many fighters you had for your cause, but rather how passionately they believed in the cause they were fighting for." She told him, her ocean-colored eyes serious.

For a moment it was hard to think of anything but his strong desire to lean forward and kiss her. "Thanks." He finally mumbled, taking a step back and away from her. "I'm still worried."

"You'd be a fool not to be worried." She told him with a little chuckle. "There is every reason to be worried but I'm certain that in the end everything will work out for the best."

She didn't need to say anything for them to both know what was left unspoken. _Those who die in the battle will do so willingly and it is a sacrifice that must be made. They will die knowing they did what was right. _Knowing that did not help Aang and he already felt guilty. The Airbenders he'd thought gone for so long would help, as would the rebels here and maybe the rest of Ba Sing Se if they could only find a way to get the message out to the people.

They would fight with the strength of someone preserving their way of life for their children and their children's children. But that didn't make their deaths right in Aang's mind. He was the Avatar and he shouldn't have run from that responsibility. If he hadn't have run then none of these people would have to die. It was his fault and yet they were still willing to die following him.

Looking at Katara as she held onto his shoulders—sensing, on some level, his unease—that weight was even heavier on his spirit. _Katara_ was willing to die fighting for him. Katara, Sokka, Toph, even Iroh and Zuko had all been there to form a new family for him when his had long since been laid to rest, and what was he doing to thank them for that precious, precious gift? He would lead them into a battle with no promise about them ever returning to the world they had supposedly made better.

It was that blind faith that Aang hated so much.

He was _just _a kid!

That had always been his problem, even a hundred years ago when he'd first escaped the monastery. He was a kid and he wanted to play like a kid, with other kids, and lead a normal life. But it wasn't actually an option that he had, he was The Avatar and all that really meant was that he was not allowed a life of his own. He had to live for other people at all times.

He was not _allowed _to love Katara as he did and that blind faith people placed in him reminded him of that fact. Avatar Kioshi had killed to protect her village though, clearly she had loved the people there more than anywhere else...it could not hurt if he were to hold Katara above all others.

And there had been the Avatar whose love's face had been stolen by Koh as well!

He considered this as they began to walk again and Katara started to tell him how Iroh had at last awoken—exhaustion and excitement evident in equal parts in her speech. He was already hopelessly in love with her, there was no changing that. If she loved him back it would make him happy beyond explanation but it would not change anything about how he currently felt. The damage, as it was, was already done so really no one could complain.

And by "no one" he meant Roku, who even when he wasn't speaking directly to Aang, seemed to be looking down on the young boy and judging all he did against the rigid perfection he seemed to have managed in life.

"Now I have to tell Zuko that Iroh's awake. Zhi only knows how that will go." She heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes. It seemed more than appropriate that in addition to healing, Zhi the Water Spirit was famed for his vast amounts of wisdom. Legends told of him teaching the first members of the Water Tribes to make boats and navigate by the stars...even how to find food when all there was, was ice and water.

Things, as of late, had become so confusing she wouldn't mind an intervention by the spirit to set her straight. Once that might have seemed an unlikely happening but she did, currently, travel with the Avatar; the apparent Bridge between this world and the next.

Aang felt his stomach suddenly tighten into a vicious knot. He had tried to push the incident into the very back of his mind but now it came back full-force.

_She is not a thing to be won, Avatar!_

Though Zuko had been quick to deny it assuring Aang that Katara was nothing to him they both knew it wasn't true. Surely, though, the fact that Aang was willing to fight for her rather than just let go and give up meant that he cared more. That had to be true.

In that moment they had learned they they both cared for, maybe even_ loved, _the same woman. Aang knew he loved the beautiful Watebender...but did Zuko?

Zuko was unwilling to admit his feelings of any intensity to himself, clearly, but that didn't make the feelings any less true. He could love Katara too, but if that was so...why would he allow Aang to have her? Aang knew he could never let Katara go if there was a chance at winning her heart, he felt certain that it couldn't be _real _love like it was for him if Zuko was so ready to just...drop it.

The young Firebender hadn't even said so much as a complete sentence to Katara since he and Aang had talked that night.

"Well, I can stay there with you. I bet together that we could at least ensure that he stayed in his rooms until you finished checking him over." Aang suggested with a nervous little attempt at a laugh. Katara's order that Zuko's room be guarded and he be kept in it was famous in the little resistance camp. Though that might be less attributed to her and more to everyone dreading that _their _turn would come to guard the room. He never tried to fight his way out, but he certainly did not enjoy his incarceration.

"Thank you, but I'm not worried about him staying put. I just need him to be _calm_ when he goes to see Iroh." She smiled and rolled her eyes to glance upward as though looking for inspiration from the Spirit Realm. Which, if she thought about it, would not be the strangest thing she had recently encountered. "Poor Iroh, he's been through more than any of us and could use a rest." She bit her lip, something internal stopping her before she continued. Iroh was older than all of them, and while he had, in his youth, been used to this hard kind of traveling life-on-the-run, it was not easy for him any longer. She was worried for his health, for Aang's Firebending...and most of all she was worried for Zuko. He had been so very worked up when Iroh was merely _injured. _

And now she was curious as to why she didn't want to share any of this with Aang. It seemed like only yesterday he was her closest friend, she'd tell him anything and he could tell her anything. Somehow, now, something had changed. She could feel things unsaid between them, piling up and just ignored.

Any further musings were cut short when they reached the door of Zuko's rooms. She had inquired once just where they were staying. It was almost like the Airbender's hidden city, but it was not simply carved out of the rock, it seemed like a _real _town that had just been swallowed by the earth one day. They had explained that they were in Ba Sing Se, and most Earth Kingdom towns had levels upon levels built underground where they people could live and hide in the event of an attack. When Ba Sing Se's great wall had been built their lower levels had been closed up. They would not need to hide or retreat to a fortress because no one could get through their walls.

_Won't people know to look for you here? _Toph had asked, even if they weren't as practiced at it as she most all Earthbenders could sense movements of large groups. It was why the Earth Kingdom army had such good scouts.

The men had explained, with much grinning, that the King's iron-fisted rule would help them here. He didn't want people to worry, that was what people paid to live in Ba Sing Se for, freedom from fear. He would stop all the looking and say that most of them had been caught or killed. Other lies would be made up if the rebels struck again. They were safe, for the time being. Of course, that was not the largest of their worries.

No one spoke about it but they were all far more worried about the upcoming war with the Fire Nation. They needed more troops, even if they had every able-bodied fighter from Ba Sing Se they would be heavily outnumbered, but they chances would increase, at least a little. As it was they barely had enough fighters to pose a threat.

Unless the Fire Lord Ozai was likely to laugh himself to death.

* * *

Life had gone back to normal in Ba Sing Se proper, just as the leaders of the resistance had guessed it might. It should not have surprised Dai-yu but still it did. This was not just some incident of insurgency it was the Avatar himself come to petition the king only to be traded away to the Fire Nation. 

Her husband had been furious that she allowed Toph to leave, and in his own way he was worried for his daughter. That was the problem though—she had come to realize in the four days since her daughter had rejoined the Avatar—he spent so much time _worrying _about Toph that he couldn't see what a strong person she'd become.

She could not blame him, her heart had broken too when she learned their daughter would be forever blind due to her illness. However she could see that Toph was miserable being protected and what use was a long life if every day was torture?

She paused, still holding her food coupon in one hand and waiting in line. Everything was rationed out fairly through the use of such coupons, it ensured that everyone got what they were owed even in such trying times as they now found themselves in as of late. Her husband nudged her from behind and she started, shaking her head as though waking from a dream or a deep sleep.

What _was _the use of a sheltered life? She clenched her fists, ignoring the fact that she was crumpling the paper coupon, and looked around. Her breathing had become ragged with her excitement...she _knew _she was on the verge of something that had the potential for greatness and it was just a matter of...

Of being brave, just like Toph. She had managed to birth a beautiful, strong, and independent child who was fighting the opression everyone was suffering under. Clearly she'd gotten none of that bravery from her Mother, but maybe Dai-yu could get some of it from Toph. She was an Earthbender too, once. There was a strength in her too and maybe it only needed to be nurtured.

Her heart hammered against her ribcage as though trying to escape and her hands trembled so violently that she could distantly hear her husband asking if she was alright. She was a mother, and long ago she'd promised that she would do _anything _to help her daughter. It was time to live up to that promise!

With a clumsy stance Dai-yu lifted herself up almost six feet with a column of earth that was only slightly crooked and seemed sturdy enough to hold her even if it wasn't as perfect as proper Earthbenders could manage. It certainly did it's job at drawing attention though. Oddly enough the only thought that really ran through Dai-yu's mind was _'I hope I am high enough that they cannot see how much I'm shaking.' _She knew that Toph wouldn't be trembling like a scared beetle-mouse and that thought gave her at least a little courage.

"People of Ba Sing Se!" She shouted, startling herself with how calm she sounded. "Do you really think that we can listen to our king, who kowtows to the very Fire Lord we fear, and avoid the war that is tearing our land apart?

"I thought so! I believed in the lies he told and I wanted to pretend as though the war could not find me here! And my daughter—who fights beside the Avatar who fights for peace!--was jailed because of it. Had my husband not paid the money our King demanded he would have sold my daughter, a blind child, to the Fire Lord in an attempt for that same lie he calls peace!

"That is not peace!" She could barely hear herself for the sound of her heart pounding and the roar of her blood rushing through her veins. She saw people staring at her, more crowding around with every word she shouted, and she knew whatever she was saying seemed to be having an effect, though it remained to be seen if it was a good effect or a bad one. Her husband stared up at her with sad brown eyes and she knew she was hurting him, but it was the right thing to do. Someone had to speak up and if no one else would, the responsibility fell to her. "Peace, _real _peace, can only be gained through the Avatar. It is he who fills our world with balance--" Guards were pressing into the very farthest edges of the large crowd that had gathered. She shifted her feet and considered running for it, or seeking out her daughter and her friends.

But that was when she noticed something very strange. The people nearest to the guards...were holding them off. People were fighting to listen to her. That gave her pause and she glanced around, peering for the first time at her audience. They were interested, hopeful even. They were not just _listening _to her but _agreeing and understanding._

"We cannot allow this to go on any longer!" She shouted, stamping her foot hard and sending up a weak spray of dirt that forced a handful of guards to stumble backward away from the ring of listeners.

"What can we do?" Someone asked from the crowd, it was a woman's voice, rickety with age but loud and true. "I have seen my sons die in battle. That is not peace."

"No, no but my daughter, my _blind child_ fights beside the Avatar himself and I have come to realize one thing! We may hide here, and we will die for certain once the Fire Lord has conquered the whole of the world! He will not stop when he is one city away from world domination!

"Or we can gather our forces and join with the Avatar. He himself is leading a massive strike against the Fire Nation Capital. He has found fighters from all the tribes and he himself will face the Fire Lord Ozai. All he asks of us, the people he will die to protect, is for us to fight the soldiers and give him time to free our land." Men at the very back of the crowd were now fighting off the soldiers and more were clearly being sent for.

"I am not a fighter, I have barely even been trained to bend properly, but I would die right now if I thought that there was even the slimmest chance that I might secure a peaceful future for my daughter and _her _children and_ their _children." She recalled then something her father used to say to her brothers. Dai-yu was, of course, expected to do as she was told and be silent and sweet while her brothers were expected to make something of themselves in the Earth Kingdom politics and armies.

"It is better to die fighting for what is right rather than live doing what we know to be wrong!" She shouted, raising one lily-pale fist into the air and wondering if this was the sort of thing Toph would do. If so she could understand why she'd run away from home and stood so valiantly beside the Avatar when he was little more than a child himself.

Her blood was no longer pounding in terror, but in a strange sort of exhilaration mixed with the heady tang of _pride_. These people were motivated to do what was right because of _her_. She, Dai-yu who was only so good as her dowry was making a difference in the tide of the Hundred Years War.

Her smiled turned almost mad for a moment as she realized the kind of power that comes with becoming brave and no longer being shackled by a lifetime of fears. The people roared their approval at her words and there was a tense and silent moment when more of the King's Guard poured out of the palace and toward where the people had gathered. Then, as if commanded by some unheard voice the people who had paid so much to join a city where there was no war began to fight back.

* * *

**1 -- **A quick note now that someone's brought up how I forgot to comment upon this line: Sokka is anything but cold and aloof, however in the episode with Aunt Wu in season one when Aang goes to Sokka for advice on women...

Sokka tells Aang that the way to a girl's heart is by being cold and aloof and letting her come to him. So yeah. There you go there. (Now if only Sokka could follow his own advice.) -

* * *

**I have tried my hardest to respond to all of you, those that left unsigned reviews and those who left signed. If I've missed you I am unimaginably sorry and it's only because I'm a flaky, flaky person in real life and you all have a way of just flabbergasting me with your kind responses to this story. I'll keep better track of it in the future (no more letting responses pile up) so if it happened, it won't ever again.**

* * *

**Kelsey -- **I am glad to hear that! I started this long before we even knew for certain that Zuko WOULD join the gaang and as things in Canon progressed I have wondered and worried that I was alienating new readers with such an alternate version of events. I'm thrilled to hear you still enjoy it and that even though we know it's not how things work you feel it's in character. I think that's the best news I've had in a long while. 

**Rynorean -- **I think I'm coming to agree with you, I know I rather longer chapters and fewer updates (though that might be because, if anything, this experiment has taught me that I want to finish the whole story and THEN start posting chapters) and I think that might be what starts to happen as things progress. I know you and several other readers have been kind enough to assure me you don't mind either way but it is always very nice to hear; I have to admit that!

**AlinaAlone#1 -- **I feel infinitely better knowing you don't think that. I was, I will admit, a little worried. :)

**Bonnie -- **I am thrilled that you've caught up and yes the Zutara is getting closer, though maybe not as you might expect it...Finally. Really? You think I've shown a marked improvement? I'm delighted to hear that. I love hearing that people like my stories but it's almost better to hear that they can see an improvement between earlier work and later work. It means I'm actually learning something:)

**Princess25 -- **Believe me, if I could find the time I would love to update more than once a week. I am sorry to have to say that might stop but I really will try to do everything I can to speed up the updates I do manage. I hope that will offer some amount of consolation.

**Shard -- **Yeah, I think my stories tend to be a bit predictable, admittedly, but I'm glad to hear you and others manage to enjoy them anyway. That's a success as far as I view things.


	49. Out of Tune

**I know this took an obscenely long time in coming. This was due in part to SEVERAL factors (one or two would have held me up but all of them kicked my ass.)**

**I feel like I owe you an explaination even though most of you are all very clear that you don't mind so long as I do post chapters. You are too good to me and if you're bored of hearing me talk please feel free to skip ahead to the chapter-proper.**

**I got a job, finally. Then was promptly promoted. My title is technically Support Specialist, but what I actually do is "Anything that no one else wants to do".**

**Work decided that even though I'm taking the days off for class, they still counted as "vacation" and so worked me nearly to a breaking point. I am better now, as are my hours. **

**This chapter. A lot of time you (kindly) point out (rightly) that MY speech leaks into the characters and for such an important conversation (That takes up so much of the chapter) this was not acceptable, so I wrote and re-wrote and re-wrote some more, then took a day or two off to re-watch old episodes, then re-wrote it once more, the conversation at the end.**

**Finally, in general, I wrote this chapter about six times, getting to an equal number of pages and going "ugh, this is CRAP!" and then deleting it all. This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT chapters and it need to be as perfect as I could make it. So I would spend a week or two writing the chapter and twenty seconds deleting it in its entirity.**

**Okay, so there it is, still no excuse, not really. And I am sorry for the long wait when I promised you wouldn't have to wait that long. All I promise (from the bottom of my soul) is that I'm not giving up this story. It's been a part of my life for so long now and I love it so much I would hate myself forever if I gave it up now when I can _see_ the ending. So, it may take me a while, and sometimes I might spend too much time trying to perfect a chapter, but I will NEVER EVER give up.**

**Besides, I love my readers too too much. :) Please enjoy:**

* * *

At the time, of course, those beneath the city—even Toph—had no idea of what grand designs were playing out above them. They did know something was happening, but not that they had found their army in the broken families who hid behind impenetrable walls.

For the last few days, while the Avatar and his friends healed and lived among them, an unexplained tension had begun to grow. It grew and grew, pulling tighter like a lyre string, someone twisting the tuner tighter and tighter until the string began to whine and shiver.

On a lyre the string would, eventually, snap. That was a well known fact, but no one knew what would happen to their quivering string of tension. It invaded their lives and left everyone on edge but merely continued to grow and wind tighter and tighter.

Iroh was up now, and Zuko had seemed to remember whatever drove him away from Katara in the first place so he'd been too busy trying to ignore her to throw a fit. He was silent as a statue as she lead him to Iroh's quarters. This was, in part, to see how he faired walking without assistance and while Katara still felt that stab of pain in her heart that he was pulling away, she was pleased with his healing. He didn't even wobble as he walked.

Aang stood beside her, silent as well—which was, in all honesty—far more odd than Zuko being silent. She felt a sick feeling of tension in her stomach, though she didn't dare investigate the feeling. Too often now there were things she just didn't want to consider. It made things too hard and considering how real the battle was getting. Ever since Sokka had nearly died she had realized that this wasn't just the war she'd heard people talking about since she was a child. This wasn't just the war that her mother had died in either.

Aang was the leader of this war now, and she stood at Aang's side. People looked to her, to Aang, to them all as the Fire Nation looked to Ozai and that was humbling. She couldn't let the thoughts of a little girl from a small Water Tribe village bother her. She was Lady Katara, Master Waterbender and the only true Waterbending Healer in the world.

She had always been ready to die for the cause, to die for freedom and to ensure that no other little girl lost her mother so young. It was a bit chilling to realize that any of those she'd come to care about could die as well; or even that they might be so ready as she to die for the cause. And that people would follow them into battle and maybe they would die as well.

Katara had learned the hard way that she could not heal everything as easily as she might hope.

That had been days ago and now they had long-since learned of their miraculous army ready to fight. So with the last piece they needed to end the war they were planning their attack on the Fire Nation Capital with the army of the people of Ba Sing Se.

Sokka and Toph worked with some of the Resistance Fighters to train those who needed even the most basic of fighting skills while Iroh and Aang worked out the final plans. It fell to Katara to coordinate the attack with the other Nations and she spent most of her time sitting at a desk writing copies and copies of the same letter. Ensuring that no matter where they were everyone knew what was happening in the City of Walls.

Without a word of explanation Zuko had joined her on the second day and begun to assist her. She would write the first letter and then the two of them would work silently on the copies. Zuko would then bring all the letters to the Royal Aviary and attach them to the legs of the messenger birds. He still seemed to be intent on ignoring her completely and no matter what tactic she tried he would refuse to answer.

The silence made her feel nervous and awkward and so she would talk. She'd read aloud the letters they received and then read her responses aloud, asking for opinions he would never give.

It scared her how much his silence hurt her, more than it should in the short time they had traveled together as friends, or at least allies.

She had never expected them to become as good of friends as she and Aang were, but she had thought that they'd made some progress, that maybe he might care for her at least a little and consider her his friend.

That he was so cold to her now hurt so much that it startled her more than she cared to admit. He was Prince Zuko. Even now that he was on their side he was something distant from her. What should she care that he didn't talk to her or even look at her anymore?

She knew the answer though, even if she didn't want to face the truth when there was so much to worry about...she knew why his sudden coldness bothered her.

She had thought that they were getting closer, he'd even told her about his mother and didn't seem to mind when she watched him practice with his swords, though anyone else would generally make him stop and move on to something else.

He didn't even have the decency to tell her _why_.

_He'd saved her life._

Then he'd moved on to ignore her, and now he refused to talk to her, or even acknowledge her really but he was still helping without being asked. She smiled softly to herself, recalling when he came shopping with her without really understanding why.

Even now he was helping her but he still wouldn't explain anything about what was happening and most of all he wouldn't talk to her. Even when she'd run into him and apologized he'd not even taken the chance to insult her.

Against her better judgment she sought out Aang with the sole desire of talking to him about this, trying to restore the friendship they'd been developing since he talked her into Penguin Sledding all the way back in the South Pole.

She hoped that it would help to restore that friendship as well as sooth her troubled mind about the whole business. She could have chosen Sokka, though if their conversation at the North Pole was _any _indication, he was completely mistaken about her relationship with the newest member of their strange family. Toph...

Was not an option. The two got along much better than ever before—it was true—but Toph was well-versed at knowing Lies from Truth and Katara wasn't certain she was ready for whatever the Truth might be.

So, she convinced herself that if she opened up to Aang a little more than she had been that would help to sooth the breach that had begun to form between them and surely he would be able to help her with Zuko. He was the Avatar after all and even though he did tend to act like the kid he was at times he was very intelligent and always seemed able to solve serious problems—as well as make you laugh.

Like all of them, this close to the final onslaught against the Fire Nation he did not have much free time, but with a small tray in hand she found him alone in his rooms, sitting up and pouring over maps when he should have been sleeping; just as she thought she might find him.

"Aang." She sighed, half out of annoyance and half because it was that kind of dedication that she had come to really like about him. He looked up with hooded grey eyes that actually rather matched the dark smudges under them. "I know you're busy but you're hardly going to be of any help if you fall asleep in the middle of the fight." She told him, keeping her tone as light as possible.

When he was on edge, even if you were right, it was not the time to point out his flaws or mistakes, or especially his weaknesses like needing sleep.

"I _know." _He said, trying hard not to whine but exhaustion did give his voice that reedy-thin quality.

"I brought you some tea." She told him, shifting the tray so it rested against one hip and she had a free hand. She lifted the pot and set it down in front of Aang, right on top of the maps he had been staring at for so long. Two tea-cups—miss-matched and chipped—followed it.

"You've been spending too much time with Iroh." He was annoyed, of course, at being disturbed, but this was Katara and she was _talking _to him and bringing him tea. He could not turn her away. Lately she had been slipping away from him, like if he tried to hold water without bending it. If she was willing to come back to him he could not take a chance at losing her. The battle could wait.

After all, he was fighting it for her.

Of course he wanted to help everyone, and he did, but it was for Katara. She had held onto hope uselessly for so long, she wanted the Avatar to save everyone and so Aang would. He couldn't do it for Gyatso and the other monks, he had been too scared. But for Katara he had become the Avatar and he would Fight Sozin and even Ozai and Azula all if he had to. Just for her.

Because he loved her.

"Maybe that's true." She laughed. "But I brought food too." She couldn't find the fruit pastries he had once told her Gyatso made, but she'd found hardtack and smeared it with jams and butter in a vague imitation. Aang's eyes lit up like she'd found a way to bring Gyatso back to him and he dove it with a gusto despite the fact they didn't taste very good—even for hardtack. "Promise me you're going to take care of yourself Aang?" She asked suddenly. "I'm worried you're going to push yourself too hard." And she had recently become aware that she could not heal everything and that thought scared her.

"I have to!" Aang said, thought it was hard to take him as seriously as he was speaking when there was a smear of jelly on his cheek and he sprayed crumbs across the table as he spoke.

"No, no you don't, we're here to help, we want to help." She sighed and picked up her tea cup. "We are your family Aang, remember? We love you and we are going to help you. Even if we have to get Toph to hold you down and make you rest." She said, smiling a little wickedly into her tea cup. She tried to hid the grin by taking a drink but Aang still knew it was there and he made an attempt at a smile all the same.

He couldn't _really _deny her anything she asked; because you never could with someone you loved.

He would have gotten her a hundred Panda Lilies if she wanted.

"I promise I will be careful." He grinned, finishing off the last of the milky tea in his cup. They knew, though, that that promise only extended so far. There was a very real chance that he would die when he faced Sozin. He would rather die and ensure the freedom of the world rather than live to see Katara's hopes of peace dashed.

She nods at his promise and lifts a little cookie from the plate. Of course, it's less of a cookie and more of baked dough with fruit paste on it, army food, and grins.

"Maybe I should have asked for them not to bake these." She suggested and suddenly they seemed to be as close as they'd ever been and he didn't _need _to ask what she meant because his confusion was evident to her. It made both of them happy. "It's Avatar Day. Unbaked cookies to remind everyone of the time that the Avatar was _not _boiled in oil." She explained around a mouthful. They laughed together, like they used to so many months before. Like they had that day ages ago as they flew down the hill on the backs of penguins.

Aang tilted his head, as though trying to memorize her as she was in that moment, to save it forever and ever and to look at whenever he liked. "Katara," He started, and then stopped, uncertain even when she looked at him like that, all trust and laughter. "After." He stopped again and then with a final deep breath he plunged forward. "After the battle, when we win--" He left no room for any other outcome beside peace achieved at long last, though in the secrecy of his mind he was not that sure of what the outcome would be. "When we win and this is all over, I want to stay with you." He admitting, wishing, once he'd spoken, that he had known a better way to say what was in his heart.

"Of course!" She said with a smile that made the dark skin around her eyes crinkle.

"No," He frowned, furrowing his brown, "No, I mean just you and I. Together." Her face fell. "We can go anywhere you like, back to the South Pole if you want or even to the North if you want to train more with Master Pakku."

"Aang," She started, trying to smile even though it didn't reach her eyes. He knew what was coming though, it was the same look she'd worn when she tried to explain about the war, or when she'd tried to convince him to allow the people to live in the Western Air Temple...or a hundred other times when he'd already made his decision and she tried to talk him into being sensible about it instead.

"Why? Why not?" He jumped in, not wanting to hear her let him down. He didn't want her to say 'no'.

"Aang," She tried again, with a heavy sigh. "I love you, you're as much a part of my family as Sokka."

"But Katara, I _love _you!" He shouted, lunging across the table to grab her hand and upturning his tea cup in the process. Tea sloshed all over the table and onto the floor. "I love you." He repeated again, quietly. Gently she pulled back her hand and tried to speak again. He didn't even let her make a plea of his name this time.

"It's _him_, isn't it? You'd rather him than me? Katara!" This last made it seem as though he were scolding her, or disappointed in her at the very least.

"Him?"

"He tried to kill us Katara! Sure he's on our side now but that's only because he'll do whatever Iroh says and what happens if Iroh's not there? He's going to hurt you, because he can't love you nearly so much as he loves the power of being a Firebending Prince. He's spoiled and selfish and that's not going to change!" Aang stood up and stormed around the room and for a horrifying moment Katara was months ago and worried that the kind and gentle boy she cared for was going to slip into the Avatar State so deeply that she couldn't reach him.

"Aang you don't mean that!" The words spilled out of her before she could stop them. She tried to be an adult, a mother, a general. She tried to be all the things that other people needed of her and tried to forget that at heart, she was a sixteen-year-old girl.

Suddenly all the things she was trying to be didn't matter and that girl who had been pushed aside when her mother died broke free; and she was _sick _of being what other people needed and doing what they needed instead of what she wanted.

"You don't mean that!" She growled this time, though neither she nor Aang would notice how like Zuko she sounded in that moment. "He has done _everything _for us, for _you_. He could have kept you, tied up and in pain. But he _chose _to let you go and to help you. He is helping us to fight his _father! _You would give your life to win this battle but Zuko already has! His mother died, his father left him scarred and abandoned and Iroh was the only one who would stand at his side! He is as broken as the rest of us!

"You forgave Toph for _her _faults but what makes Zuko so different? You're just like Ozai! Zuko isn't worth anything to you because he can't teach you to master Firebending!" Aang rounded on her at that, fury winning out over anything else.

"You used to defend me! You hated him more than I did in the beginning! That makes you a hypocrite!"

"No! I _grew up Aang!_" The tea on the floor shivered and pulsed, heaving with the fury of it's master. "I changed and he changed and we both made sacrifices!" She sighed and then barreled on despite the fact she knew better. "He's been hurt just as much as any of us and I can see that!"

"So what? You pick him over me because he lost his mother too? Why not take my side since I've lost everyone I ever cared about!" _And now you're leaving me too._

"What does it matter? You say you love me but you will not let me be happy or make my own choices? By Zhe Aang we could all die in the battle and you'd rather spend our last days together fighting because you think I'm choosing someone else over you? I haven't chosen anyone!"

Silence reigned for a long moment, "He would only hurt you. I'd rather see you alone than with him!" Aang admitted quietly.

"If I love him that's my business. If I want to be with him that is between me and him and if you cannot handle that then there's no place for you in my future." She regretted the words the moment she'd said them, and it reflected in her eyes, but she did not take them back. The two stared at each other, seething in quiet rage and hurt for a long moment. Finally, still slightly elated by this strange and sudden ability to do as she wished rather than as someone else wanted, Katara shook her head and tore open the door to leave the room. She moved quickly down the hall, but not quick enough that she missed the looks on the faces of all the Earth Kingdom men and women who had heard the Waterbending Mistress and Avatar argue.

And not fast enough to miss the smudge of yellow and green in the back of the large room that was Toph, who—no doubt—had Sokka with her.

As she stormed past Iroh reached out for her and she pulled away, trembling and only just able to keep her composure around her.

She was thinking about herself right now and she wanted to be alone if she had no mother to hold her.

"Is Sweetness gonna be okay?" Toph asked, trying to sound as though she didn't care. Sokka knew though, he knew that they were good friends even if they were too stubborn to admit it.

"I don't know." He whispered, more for himself than to Toph. "What am I talking about? This is Katara: of course she'll be okay. She's been through so much and come out fine before she won't let a little thing like this stop her."

"But...even the strongest rocks can be worn down after a time." Toph whispered, coming as close to admitting her fears aloud as she ever would.

"What wears down even rocks? Water. Katara has always been the strongest person I know, tied with you of course, she might seem weak, and she cries sometimes, but she always pulls through. I dunno how she does it, but she does." He admitted. And without another word Toph slipped her hand into his and looked away.

Sokka could not contain the goofy grin that spread across his face like Dawn across the sky. "What about Aang?" He asked.

"I've said from the beginning that he needs to toughen up. About time Sweetness set him straight." Sokka was confused, and grateful when she continued. "He would just keep walking all over her like you do. You do it 'cause she's your sister and you're allowed--" Toph had asked about that once, why Katara always did the mending and the cooking even when Sokka didn't appreciate it at all.

_He's my brother and he protected me when I was little and tried so hard to be a mother and father to me. He was terrible at it. Now I get to prove I'm better. I'm better at bending than he is at hunting and better at everything he considers a woman's job. He's my brother and that lets him get away with a lot._

"--But Twinkletoes? She let him get away with it because he's the Avatar. But he's a kid too, just like she's a kid. And he forgot how to see that. He'll suck it up, just like he did when I taught him to Earthbend." Toph explained, trying not to sound too much like Iroh, but so many long teas and Pai Shou games had taught her a thing or two about the power of words being equal to the power of her bending. She tugged her hand free of Sokka's and tapped the floor with a foot hard enough to send up a rock and make Sokka stumble. "Stop gawking Snoozels, we've still got a job to do even though they think they can slack off." She snarled, but he'd felt the way her hand trembled in his...He nodded and followed her, but it helped to know that someone else was worried about their little family too.

He certainly didn't know how Katara could worry like this all the time without going mad.

"Oh." Sokka groaned aloud. "How's Zuko going to take this?" He asked, though the question was not, necessarily, directed at Toph unless she wanted to answer. He wasn't certain even she knew though.

"I don't know." Iroh said as Sokka yelped and jumped into the air and Toph just laughed. Sokka had not heard the older man approach. "I am worried about him though, but I have never seen him more stable than he's become surrounded by people who care for him. I think that if Katara and Aang survive this, he will too."

"I'm worried he's going to hurt my sister." He had no doubt that Zuko cared for Katara more he cared about anyone else, but this _was_ Zuko and that might not be enough. Iroh smiled sadly at Sokka, for once he had no answers, nor even a shred of advice. He would like to say that things would work out well for Zuko--whom he loved as a son even though Iroh could not call the boy son--and Katara, but then he had never meant to hurt Ursa, he'd only wanted to live happily with her and their child--with many more to follow.

All he _could _say was that sometimes wanting not to hurt someone and loving them wasn't enough. Things did not always work out as you wanted, and people got hurt. But that wasn't a comforting thought and Sokka needed to be comforted about the fate of his sister. More now than ever with the final battle looming ever-closer. Children this young should not have to look forward toward a battle that might see them all dead so young.

"If she is hurt, at least she is lucky enough to have a brother as kind as you to stand at her side and help her through." Iroh said finally, and Sokka clung to that, taking a moment to preen that he might be able to help her if something did go wrong.

Until Toph tripped him again that is.


	50. Wildfire Rumors

**THE CREATURE! IT LIVES! **

**Oh...wait...it's just me. **

**Whoops. **

**Yup! I am still alive and working on chapters for this. I wanted to get this out in time to celebrate The finale, but before hand I was too excited and afterward I just stared at my television, aghast. But, the chapter is here now! Rejoice, read, review. Anything you like. Just smile!**

* * *

Times were hardly such that people should be gossiping like old maids, but Jiang supposed they were clinging to some vague sense of normalcy in these desperate times. They were finally going to stand up and fight back, with the Avatar as it should have been years ago. Before, people had gossiped about just why the Avatar had disappeared all those years ago. But now it was not just the Avatar at the center of all the rumors.

Even hardened soldiers seemed more interested in the love-life of the Avatar than anything else.

"They were fighting. That's what I heard at least. But I heard it from Kar-Leung, he was on patrol and heard the whole thing. The Avatar loves his Waterbending Mistress, but she loves Prince Zuko. He used to try and capture the Avatar you know? It's like she's betrayed him. The Avatar that is."

Jiang looked at his friend for a long moment before scoffing and rolling his eyes. "Don't be so stupid." He suggested, looking away and back to the front of the room. "Gossip is a woman's sport." He pointed out, and then recalled that things like that would eventually get around to his daughter and he'd find himself in more trouble than it was worth, "Besides, the only thing Kar-Leung hears is the sound of his own voice. He tells stories all the time and you've never put stock in them before."

The Avatar and his friends stood at the front of the room. He had the place of honor, followed by his masters, among which was the legendary General Iroh—Dragon of the West—and Master Sokka, who was the Waterbending Mistress's brother and supposedly second only to Iroh in terms of strategies.

"Look at them would you? They've more on their minds than fighting amongst themselves. If you actually believe in what Kar-Leung says I've got a bridge in Omashu I want to sell you. Besides." He sighed, looking back at his friend, "What girl would choose a scarred outcast over the Avatar? He may have redeemed himself according to the Avatar but even Fire Lord Ozai threw him out. He can't be pleasant to be around. Use those brains you keep saying you have!" A woman in the row ahead of them turned around and hissed at them to be quiet. Jiang was the only one with the decency to look abashed.

"We _all _have our strengths and weaknesses, just like anyone else." Sokka explained moving toward the edge of the stage and taking charge while Iroh sat behind him smiling like a cat with cream. He was doing very well despite how nervous he had been. Sokka had, up until the very last minute, insisted that Iroh should be the one to take charge, or even Aang.

But the plan had been Sokka's and so it was Sokka would would relate it to their army. "We will land here, on the very edge of the Tsu Hao Salt Flats. This will be our home base, and we will hold this point at all costs. Iroh will lead the small group which remains to protect it at...all costs..." Sokka looked away, cleared his throat and then plowed on, no one expected him to be a great orator—he tried to comfort himself—they would just follow his orders.

"Katara will also remain behind, she will not only lead the Healers but serve as a line of protection. We need all the healers we can get that includes anyone with any amount of skill at all." He swallowed hard and gripped the edges of the podium, more to halt his desire to fidget than anything else. "Toph and myself will lead the main army forward, pushing across the salt flats and toward the city. They see this as a natural defense against...uhm...against attack. So, that side of the city will have weaker defenses and while the trek will be hard it will be worth it, in the, in the end you know?" He laughed a little nervously and Toph kicked him sharply, shocking him back into the present.

"Aang and Zuko will come around from the other side and sneak into the Palace. The main army serves two purposes, to launch an all-out attack on the Fire Nation capital itself, but also to distract them from guarding the palace so that Aang's--uhm--so that the Avatar has a chance to reach the palace and fight the Fire Lord. _That _is our real mission. As of right now you are _all _helping the Avatar to end this war once and for all!" He was certain that last part sounded far better in his head than it did out loud and there was a moment of silence so complete that it was deafening.

It started off slow, and then started to grow, a loud cheer that rose up from the depths of the crowd and emanated outward until even Toph and Katara on the dais were shouting right along with them.

"Okay," Jiang very heard his friend over the roar of the assembled crowed turned army. "So maybe it _is _just rumor. But, didn't you hear that fight they had?"

"No, and I don't think anyone really did. One person probably heard something out of context, spread it, and no one likes telling stories that go "I heard someone say," so suddenly they're all there listening. Do you really believe, if they did fight, that the Avatar and his friends would fight where _we _could hear them?" Jiang asked seriously.

Whatever his friend might have answered with was lost in the resulting rush. Everyone broke off to figure out what their tasks would be. It was not just about the fight itself but the arduous sea-voyage that would get them to the beach of the Tsu Hao flats. The boats had to be packed and sent off in waves in vague hope that fewer boats would draw less attention from the feared Fire Nation navy, and the first wave needed to leave as soon as possible.

As soon as the Avatar and his friends were alone in the small anti-chamber off the large meeting room, the united front they had presented before the battle shattered. Katara seemed to fold in upon herself, as though she could make herself so small no one would take any notice of her, and then she darted away, reminding Sokka of how she had been after their mother died. She'd wrapped herself up in a wold all her own, withdrawing farther and farther as she blamed herself more and more.

Katara was the only Waterbender, and Waterbenders were _always _the heroes in the stories that Gran-Gran told. So, by her childish logic, it was Katara who should have fought the Firebenders, not her mother, and it was Katara's fault for being weak that their mother was dead.

Aang just narrowed his eyes and bit out one-word answers to whatever people asked of him, Zuko refused to talk to anyone at all and didn't even bother to glare anymore, and that left Toph, Iroh, and Sokka caught in the middle of it all.

"We have to do something." Sokka insisted, flexing his fingers against the hard wood of the table, taking the opportunity to fidget now that no one was watching. "We can't just...let them go and fight like this."

"What do you want us to do?" Toph asked, furrowing her brow. "Force them to get along? She may be wishy-washy but Katara's just as stubborn as Zuko, and Aang..." She trailed off, looking down at the floor. It was in this rare moments of softness that Sokka found himself wondering if she knew how very expressive her face was.

"I will talk to Aang." Iroh offered with a smile that filled his face. "After years of dealing with my nephew," Toph wondered if it was the stress of the situation that made him stumble over that word, "I think I know how to handle surly young men." He offered a gentle smile to assure Sokka that everything would be fine and walked off after Aang—who refused to spend any time with the group in private.

"Katara's tougher than you give her credit for you know." Toph said after a long moment, she was tired of everyone worrying and not talking about what was bothering them.

"I _know _that." He ground out, then looked away. "That's the problem though. Toph, she'd make herself unhappy to make everyone _else _happy. That's why she puts up with me the way she does, she figures that if she can make everyone else happy, that'll be enough for her." He shook his head.

"Aang was always thinking like an Airbender. That's why he had such a tough time learning to Earthbend. But eventually he got pushed hard enough that he responded, and Earthbended...he didn't do a bad job of it either." She conceded with a cocky little smile. "Sweetness too. Someday she'll have enough and won't let herself be pushed around anymore. If you ask me, it was about time she stood up to him. Otherwise she'd have to deal with the both of you forever and I wouldn't even wish that on Azula."

"Toph," He started, trying to find words to describe just what he wanted to say and choosing to ignore her subtle jib. After traveling with her so long he knew when her insults carried weight and when she was just saying things to keep up her tough appearances. She narrowed her eyes at him and cut him off before he even found what he wanted to say.

"You can't take care of her forever Sokka! She's a big girl!" She snapped, stomping off down the corridor and away from him; leaving him completely alone and certain he'd done something wrong and yet not entirely certain just what it was.

It wasn't difficult to find Aang, since his argument with Katara he rarely did anything else beside sit with Appa in the stables and watch Momo chase bugs. "Ooh." Iroh sighed as he settled awkwardly beside Aang and stretched out his legs. "It is hard to believe I was once a young man some days." He smiled at Aang and watched the young Avatar ignore him completely.

Aang drew his knees to his chest, folded his arms over them and rested his chin on top, not meeting Iroh's eyes or even looking at the old man's smile. Iroh sighed then and shook his head.

"You are going to be leading these people into battle starting tomorrow. I know you're still young but now is hardly the time to act like it." His voice was suddenly harder than Aang was used to and his golden eyes were narrowed. Aang started and couldn't help but stare at the older man, confused above anything else.

"I'm doing the best that I can! Everyone looks to me like I can solve all their problems. Even Katara!" He snarled, then stopped and fell instantly back into silence.

"You are the Avatar. No amount of sulking will change that."

"I am _not _sulking!" Aang snapped again.

"My mistake." Iroh murmured gently. He paused, pursing his lips, and then turned away from Aang, watching Momo try and lure Appa into playing. "Katara is hurt by your silence you know. She won't even open up to Sokka, though the boy is trying his best."

"She should have thought of that before she played with my feelings."

"Oh? You mean she told you she cared for you only to change her mind?" Iroh asked. "That's a different story. I can see why you're so angry now."

"Well, well _no_." Aang admitted. "She never _said _that. But she told me we were family now. She stuck by me through everything. Even once she knew what I'd done when I knew I was the Avatar." He explained. "She wouldn't have done that if she didn't _care_."

"Of course. Because Katara isn't the type to put what other people want above her own desires. No, I understand. She's generally withdrawn and I can see where her acting so openly would confuse you."

"No she's like that with _everyone." _Aang admitted and then paused and withdrew into himself once more. "I know what you're trying to do." He said.

"You do? I must be losing my touch in my old age. I am sorry."

"So what if she never said the words. She acted like she cared about me, she even picked me over going to see her father again. And then she hurt me. I'm not going to forgive her just because it is partially my fault. I will, someday I guess." He admitted softly and with a shrug, acting more like the Avatar now than the child he was, "Just...not yet. She _knew _how I felt about her...she should have told me sooner. Before she fell in love with someone else..." then, almost petulantly, "She's the one who didn't trust him in the beginning. I had to beg her to let him stay."

Iroh nodded, taking all this in and then pausing before he spoke again. "I know you're still a child in many ways. That's what people love about you. I think even when you're my age you'll still go penguin sledding—you won't have this big belly getting in your way I'm sure." He patted his stomach and chuckled softly, but the smile and the laughter didn't reach his eyes. "But Katara, you, all of us could die in this upcoming battle. I understand if you are not ready to forgive, but do you want to lose the chance forever?" Iroh paused, for once in his life seeming uncertain, and then patted Aang on the shoulder. "I have secrets of my own that I've kept from Zuko for long enough. I am not ready to tell him, but I will not chance never being able to tell him."

Aang was silent once more, and Iroh nodded at this. He had hoped, but he hadn't _expected _it to be that easy. "Trust an old man Aang, life is filled with enough regrets as it is. You don't need to help it along." He got up then, after a little difficulty, and began to walk away. "If you really love her as much as you say, then think of her. Should you die in this battle, and Katara survive, would you want her to spend the rest of her life thinking you died hating her?"

And then Iroh was gone, shuffling off down the halls of the underground city and humming softly to himself as though he hadn't a care in the world. Aang, still sitting curled against Appa's side, couldn't begin to imagine what the man was keeping from Zuko, but he didn't suppose it could be something as serious as what had come between he and Katara.

Of course, if he were being honest with himself, that didn't make what Iroh had said any less true. He knew that any one of the monks would have told him the exact same thing, and they might even have been disappointed in him for being so selfish. He wasn't just the Avatar, he was the last trained Airbending Monk, and he was supposed to be selfless. He was _supposed _to put the needs of others above his own.

Of course, he'd never _felt _like the Avatar very much anyway. He was terrified of the Avatar State and he _tried _to be the bridge between the Spirit Realm and the real world, but it was hard and he wasn't very good at it...

He heaved a sigh and stood himself. It wasn't fair. He had every right to be angry with her. She'd lead him on, let him think that she cared for him, or at least could _come _to care for him. And how could she choose Zuko of all people?

It wasn't fair. But then...nothing ever was for him. It wasn't fair that the other children at the temple wouldn't play with him, or that the monks had told him so early that he was the Avatar. It wasn't fair that they'd tried to take Gyatso away from him...

Nothing ever was fair and he supposed that if it started getting fair now he might be worried.

Zuko stood, frozen, in the center of the room. Iroh was still talking but Zuko couldn't hear a word over the roar of blood rushing through his ears. He huffed, and licked his lips trying to find something to say or do, but there was...nothing.

"Zuko..." Iroh murmured, taking a step forward and hesitating only a moment before he brushed his hand against Zuko's arm. "I thought I was doing you a favor, that thinking highly of your mother was one of the few bright points of a life as hard as yours...but it was selfishness. Every moment I didn't tell you was because I didn't want anyone to know what a horrible brother I had been, a horrible brother and an even worse lover. Seeing what had happened to you I knew I had failed Ursa. I'm sorry." He whispered at last, his hand dropping to his side. "I'm so sorry. I do not expect you to forgive this foolish old man, but do not blame your mother for her part in things."

"You were always a far better father to me than Ozai. You have done nothing warranting forgiveness." Zuko took an awkward half-step forward—nearly a stumble—and then hesitated, not certain of exactly what was supposed to happen. To him little had changed in their relationship. Iroh had always been a father-figure to him, he'd realized that and it was why he'd chosen to help Aang instead of capture him. He had done so much to disappoint Iroh, and not once had the old man _ever _stopped loving him or having faith that, in the end, Zuko would make the right decision.

Zuko owed it to him to forgive this one thing.

It was Iroh who closed the distance between them and pulled Zuko into his arms. "I always loved you as my son and I _always _loved Ursa more than any other woman in the world." Iroh promised, though Zuko didn't need any more reassurance. Iroh had always been a constant in his life, unlike Ozai, Iroh's love was unconditional. He didn't know how to put any of that to words, so he just hugged Iroh as tightly as he could manage and hoped that the older man would, once more, see past his many flaws and know just what he meant.

"Don't make the same mistake I did." Iroh murmured into Zuko's ear as he pulled away from the hug and backed up just a little. Zuko's confusion was evident on his face and even for just a moment Iroh's good humor came flooding back. "Do not think you can fool an old man. I was young once and I recall well that look you wear when there is a certain Waterbender in the room." Zuko's face fell and he turned away, as though he could physically shield himself from the conversation.

"Don't." He rasped, started at how his voice sounded caught between pain and anger. "She deserves someone...someone who can take care of her. I can barely handle my own powers, the swords are all I am good at." He sighed, forcing himself to go on rather than shut down and storm off. Iroh had been brave enough to face him and Zuko could do the same. "I am not ready for the burden of a lover, even if she wanted me." The Avatar was foolish. It may be true that Katara did not love him as he loved her, but it was not because she'd chosen Z_uko _over him. She had only meant that it was her choice, not that Zuko was her choice.

"Zuko." Iroh used that annoyed-but-not-angry voice he'd perfected while they had spent so much time at sea. "She's a Master Waterbender, _the _only Waterbender capable of healing through her power. She won't be a _burden_."

Zuko did storm off then, but Iroh was well used to the boy's moods. He needed time to himself to think things through, he wasn't angry. Iroh just hoped that the boy would make the right decision, and wouldn't waste half his life regretting loves unloved.


	51. Breaking Tradition

**I am so nervous over this chapter.**

**I won't apologize for the long delay, since you've all done your very best to make it clear you don't mind (for the most part) so long as I keep going with this story.**

**But if you just _happened_ to be frustrated with the wait, I would blame it all on a friend of mine who encouraged me in a shameless endeavor...Not that I would _ever_ start planning _another_ Zutara before this one was finished...*cough* :)**

**Yes, I totally mean that, but considering how this story went I think I'm going to try getting at least a buffer of chapters built up, if not arranging it so that the whole story is finished before I begin posting. Just to try something new.**

**Now, as though that weren't shameless enough of a plug. If you were to go to: theredoomouse(dot)etsy(dot)com (with actual periods instead of the (dot)s of course) you might find some jewelry I've been making which is inspired by the many fandoms I belong to. There's nothing avatar-related yet, but I do have some things planned. **

**I am going to stop now before I apologize for something and ruin all the good I did by avoiding it this time! ^_^**

**

* * *

  
**

Katara had, for the first time since she decided to go after Aang and abandon her family, done something selfish, something just for her benefit and no one else's. One of the Acupuncturists from Omashu had come up to her—when she escaped the angry looks of everyone, disappointed that she'd hurt Aang like she had—and asked, at first, for her help in organizing the medical teams on their ships. Everyone would travel with their own supplies to help ensure nothing important was forgotten.

She'd spent three days helping them organize things, including courses for those willing to help but uneducated in medicine. She'd nearly forgotten about her fight with Aang, and the fact that no one seemed to want to speak to her anymore. She was, without the fear of impending battle, happy.

Then they had asked her to board the ship with them. To continue her lessons over the three weeks it would take them to reach the rendezvous point. She asked for time to think the decision over, reminding them that she was meant to travel with Aang and the others to keep an eye over everyone's progress from the air, and reminding herself how skilled she was becoming at lying.

She wanted nothing more than to escape the torture of being close to Aang—who surely hated her—and Zuko—who probably hated her more now than every before—Toph—who was surly enough and would only be worse—Sokka—who wouldn't understand....

But she didn't feel like she could abandon them all the same.

She had, in the course of wondering how she could still teach them and honor her duty to Aang, run into Zuko. But it was not the shaggy-haired, almost kind, even-laughed-on-rare-occasion Zuko that they had come to know over their travels. He looked like he had when he was still Prince Zuko, the one who wanted to kill them all and probably mount Aang's head on his wall.

They'd stared at each other for a long moment and she'd wondered at what to say. "I will fight by your side. But do not expect anything else of me." He snarled, storming past her. Katara had wavered on her feet for a moment, and a year ago she may have cried. But now she was a Waterbending Mistress, declared as such by Paku himself who never looked at women to be worth anything at all...

She took a breath that shuddered through her and found the Acupuncturist who was leading the healers in her stead. Aang had come as close to mastering Waterbending as he would before going into battle. They didn't need her anymore. "I will be leading you in the battle." She reminded him, trying to hide how her hands were shaking, "And I would be honored to sail with you as well." She instantly regretted being so selfish the moment the words spilled out of her, but she wouldn't let herself take it back.

Her mother had always taught her that you helped those who needed it, not just the ones you wanted to help.

She packed her things and moved into the healers quarters. They would leave port in three days, just a day after the warriors who would be following Toph and Sokka into battle. She considered not telling anyone of her decision, but knew the rumors would spread no matter what she wanted. So, after much procrastination, she hunted down Iroh and cornered him.

"I've decided to go aboard the Healers' boat. They need more training if they're to be of any use at all." She told him, trying to sound like her father did when he was commanding the people of the village, or like Yue had when she'd decided to give her life to save the Moon Spirit. She didn't want to leave room for him to dissuade her, mostly because she was terrified that he could convince her not to go. He'd blinked at her, stunned.

"Katara..." He started, and then he stopped himself and hugged her. "Maybe that's just what you need." He told her with a smile that was so sad it almost made her cry. "You remind me very much of Zuko's mother, you both spend far too much time trying to make everyone around you happy." He glanced down at the floor and then back up to her. "I cannot say if it is right or not, but I will support you if it's what you've decided."

She could have kissed him. "Thank you." She whispered, unable to find her voice. "Thank you."

"The others won't be happy about it."

"I know." She admitted.

"And you're still going to do it? I am proud of you. Even a few months ago you would never have considered it for a moment."

"A few months ago I hadn't alienated my whole family." She murmured. Sounding far older and sadder than she ever had before. Iroh opened his mouth to dispense some of the wisdom he was known for, and then changed his mind at the last minute. She had done all she could, it was up to the others in her life to start being as responsible as her.

Sokka had found out just in time to see her off. He had walked there—more like dashed—ready to shout at her for being rash and demand she stay with them, but by the time he'd reached the docks he'd changed his mind and only hugged her tightly.

She would never stop helping. But after the argument with Aang and the awkwardness with Zuko she had become so miserable around the others. The only time she was still herself was when she was helping teach people to heal and leading others.

He knew he couldn't always help her, but she _would _always be his little sister and it was hard to watch her sail off into battle as he had once watched their father. "I'll see you there." He told her, and then twice more. She smiled and nodded.

"Of course. But don't rip your pants on the way because I'm not going to have the time to mend them for you." She told him, focusing on such mundane things was easier. They might never see their father again, they had known that when he'd sailed away that day so many years ago, and now they were parting and they didn't want to consider how this might be their last moment together.

"You're doing a good job." He told her, looking away and trying to swallow the lump in his throat. "I mean, they're women, and shouldn't be fighting in this war anyway. But you're going a good job all the same." he coughed into his hand and spun away with the motion, trying to discreetly scrub at his eyes. Katara sniffled loudly and launched at him, hugging him hard enough to make his bones creak.

"Sokka, you're my big dumb brother and I love you. Please, take care of them all for me. Make sure Toph doesn't overestimate herself and Aang...just try to understand him." She snuffled again and rubbed her eyes in the soft cotton tunic he wore. "And do what Iroh says, he really does know what he's doing." She told him, pulling away but refusing to let go of his shoulders as though he might vanish then and there.

"And Zuko?" Sokka asked, and Katara looked away then. He sighed and reached out to tug her hair loopie. "I told you before. I don't mind. I mean. I don't want you with _anyone _'cause you're my little sister. But if it has to be someone, I don't mind him." Sokka reminded her, sounding almost serious. Katara didn't like that. He was supposed to be her dumb brother, he wasn't supposed to be a serious leader who knew just the right thing to say. He even had a shadow of a mustache growing and it just hurt to realize how much they'd really grown up. She didn't feel anymore grown up than she had when she'd first met Aang and explored the ancient Fire Nation ship.

"I'll miss you." She told him, not knowing what to say about Zuko, she wasn't certain herself. For so long she had mistrusted him, and then when she'd seen how others were so quick to turn on him it was hard not to take his side...but to call him more than a companion? She wasn't certain she could reconcile the two sides of him that she had seen.

"You're doing the right thing." He told her. Nodding once and then turning and leaving. No use letting her see her respectable big brother sobbing like a little girl at the thought of being so distanced from his sister.

Aang, so busy still combating his desire to remain angry with Katara for her betrayal, and the fact that he knew he should forgive her, did not know she had gone with the healers until she'd already left.

He paced in front of Appa's stall for a long time, trying to decide if he should go after her or not. And if he went after her, should he be angry when they met up again? Or should he beg her forgiveness? In being without her suddenly after having her as so true a constant in his life for so long...it was painful, but worse by a thousand times to realize that she was gone because he had driven her away.

He knew, even being furious with her, that she felt like he didn't want her around anymore, and so she'd left. She'd been trying to help him. She was _always _trying to help him.

He made up his mind, then and there, that when they met up on the shores of the Fire Nation he would forgive her for everything, and apologize himself for how he had acted. He _wasn't _ready yet to admit that it was partly his fault, but to be so clearly faced with losing her, he knew it could not wait in times so dire as these.

* * *

Katara was feeling better than she had in months. It was true that she worried for her life and the lives of everyone she cared for, but she could focus—now--on something she _knew_. Healing came so naturally to her and suddenly people were looking to her to lead and she found that the position suited her well. More than a few men from Water Tribes hiding in the western swamps and eastern bays had come up to her after a few days on the boat and even _asked _for her help. They were warriors and had been selected from all those willing to fight to defend the healing tents specifically, but if they were not directly needed for fighting, they said, they wanted to help. She couldn't teach them enough tricks to make them healers or even assistants. It was one of the women who suggested putting them to work cleaning bandages and sheets or even cooking.

At first they had approached the task with as much distaste as Sokka would have. But soon, confined among so many women and Earth Kingdom men who saw no problem taking orders from women they changed.

They learned how to wash things in boiling water and how to make stews which could keep on low fires for hours and be added to if more were needed. But most of all, they learned that women knew _their _realm as well as men knew theirs.

"I hadn't realized. Cooking and cleaning...it can be as hard as fighting. Only if you get hurt it's generally not a sword to the gut." One of the men confessed to Katara after a meal. He had seven children and a wife—the wife had died in a Fire Nation raid—and he'd considered trying to help her with things. Fighting was the only life he knew. "I've been hurt in battle, and given as good as I got. But I never saw what you healers do trying to put us back together again." He explained, swallowing hard and looking away. His hands were bound tightly, he'd assumed that if he could handle warfare he didn't need potholders to life a kettle from the fire.

"Your wife would be proud of you." She told him and he laughed, turning it into a cough. For a moment Katara pretended to be interested in a guttering lamp that hung above her while he wiped tears from his eyes.

"She would be disappointed that two weeks of being surrounded by women and trying to listen and I still can't make a decent pot of tea and all the things I clean come out stained still." He told her. "My youngest daughter is your age." He told her, suddenly changing his whole demeanor. Katara had gotten used to knowing just what to say and knowing all the answers, she was suddenly thrown off balance and so just blinked at him. "I know you can be trusted. I've seen you practice fighting and you're..." He swallowed and plowed onward, "You're better than I am." His voice pitched low so that only Katara could hear him, but her heart still fluttered at the compliment. He reminded her so much of her father that it seemed—for just a moment—that it was her father offering the compliment instead. "I feel like I've failed you. You kids, even the Avatar's just a child, none of you should have to shoulder our burden."

"It is all of ours." Katara told him, trying to imitate Iroh. "I choose to help, not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to be a part of the solution." The man snuffled into the sleeve under his armor and nodded.

"If my daughters turn out to be anything like you, I will be a very proud man." She smiled at him.

"Hopefully my father will feel the same way."

The first few days aboard the boat she had longed for shore and strained her eyes staring at the horizon, looking for even a white speck which _might _be Appa. As time went on, however, she settled into thinking little of herself and focusing solely on the people around her. They depended on her, not like Aang and the others did, but they looked to her to lead them, and teach them, and even to comfort them that this was the right thing. They would win this battle.

Katara had thought that Aang would inspire hope in a hopeless people, but aboard the ship she learned differently. People saw Aang as their chance, a weapon which might give them the edge they needed. It was Katara who inspired them to hope.

So she stopped thinking of Aang, of Sokka, of anything beyond these people and what needed to be done _here. _When they landed on the shores of the Salt Flats then, she had almost forgotten how much she longed to see her friends. Instead she set straight to work commanding the people who were working the unload and setting a few women in charge of erecting the tents. She wasn't taking care of her older brother and people who knew they needed her help but looked at her like an annoying, stick-in-the-mud nag. These people, they looked to her like a leader, and that earned her attention.

"We're going to need the largest tents for the injured, those of you acting as healers will sleep in shifts so the tents for us will be smaller." Katara explained, using a stick to draw in the dirt a rough outline of how she wanted the campgrounds to look. She'd planned it to back them up as much as possible against the ocean to keep as small a front open to attack, and she wanted the patients tents to be close enough to the water that if need be those skilled at Waterbending could defend them—and she had a steady supply of water to heal with.

She was laughing and helping two older women hold up the interior of the largest tent—with little skill—while a scattering of others tugged at the cables and tried to pull it taut when she first heard the shouting. She couldn't make out what they were saying but even through the heavy cloth of the tent she saw the shadow of Appa flying overhead.

All the worries she had pushed aside to focus only on this duty came flooding back. Her heart leapt into her throat and fell into her toes all at once as she realized she would have to face Aang and Zuko both. She knew that what she decided here would say a lot about her, and the person that she had become. She glanced at one of the two women with her, and then to the tent above her, listening to the people outside shouting cadence to try and organize their pulling.

She did not leave.

Later, she decided, when things were more settled she would _of course_ go and see how they were all doing; make certain they were eating well and Sokka's clothing was all mended. But for now, she chose, instead, to be a leader to the healers instead of a mother to her friends.

She was helping set up beds and worktables within the tent when she heard the women gasp and saw, out of the corner of her eye, two women beat a hasty retreat from the tent. Dropping the sheets on the bed and curling a full pitcher's worth of water around herself she spun to find that Zuko stood in the opening of the tent. With an annoyed sigh she urged the water back where it had come from and settled her hands on her hips. "You should be preparing. Tomorrow everyone will be here and once that happens---"

She stopped talking, so surprised was she by Zuko's reaction to her annoyed lecture. With several long strides he was standing in front of her. He stood there, silent for a moment before he swallowed hard. His hand twitched at his side, almost raised, and then fell back into place. "I don't know how you feel, or if there was any...merit, to Aang thinking you...cared about me. But...But I wanted you to know that I care about you. I don't know if that's worth much to you, but it's true, and you should know." He told her, sounding more like a man about to be killed confessing his sins than a boy telling a girl he liked her.

She didn't know what to say to him. She hadn't allowed herself to eve entertain thoughts about her situation, even after the argument with Aang. She had always been too concerned with something else, or she had specifically pushed it aside, thinking that maybe if she ignored the feelings she wouldn't have to hurt Aang.

"Aang..." She started, trying to find some way, any way, to explain the tangled mess of what she felt.

"Is not here. I care about _you _Katara. Not your brother or Aang or anyone else." His fingers twitched again and this time moved, grabbing her hand in his and just holding it. She could feel the callouses from using his swords and the internal _heat _of him. She had noticed that when he and Iroh had been injured. They were both always so very hot. "You don't have to feel the same about me, but tell me how _you _feel. Not how everyone else might respond."

She bristled slightly at that. Whether it was true or not she was getting awfully tired of people treating her as though she were only a worry-wart and a nag. She _could _do other things besides take care of everyone else.

_So prove it_. That little internal voice urged. As a child Katara had always pretended it was the voice of her mother, speaking to Katara from her place in the sky and trying to impart the wisdom she'd never been able to in life.

Katara swallowed hard and glanced down at the packed earth between their feet, then back upward to meet Zuko's eyes. "You shouldn't say things like that." She whispered horsely. Zuko's hand stiffened against hers and his eyes narrowed as he tried to pull away. She clung fast to his hand though and smiled even though he'd looked away from her. "We have a tradition in the Watertribe, that if you have unfinished business someone when you go into battle, it means that you will always return to them." She explained, remembering how her father had promised both she and Sokka that he would take them to see the Northern Watertribe City when he returned. "And," She swallowed another lump in her throat and blinked back tears. Some Waterbending Master she was, sniffling like a little girl with a crush. "And I don't want to think about what I would do without you." She admitted quietly.

Zuko turned back to her and offered that little smile he had, the one that only turned up a corner of his mouth. "Does that mean you care for me too."

"I'm not telling until you come back to me." She told him, but she couldn't stop smiling, nor crying. His smile grew and his other hand lifted to cup her cheek.

"You are terrible at keeping secrets." He told her.

"Maybe I'm just very good at lying." She suggested, her heart humming in her chest so quickly she feared she might die of the giddiness.

"You suggest a peasant like you could lie well enough to fool someone who grew up with Azula?" He scoffed, almost managing to school his face back into the stern look he'd always worn when he was nothing more than Prince Zuko who hunted them. He couldn't stop smiling either.

* * *

**Okay, so we had Katara doing stuff for herself without thinking of the others first and Zuko confessing his feelings all in one chapter! (AAAH) Seriously though, be brutal. I want to improve you all know that, and I can't improve if you let me make the same mistakes over and over again. I do think I supported Katara's actions and made Zuko's confession fit, but I want to hear from you. This story wouldn't have gotten half so far without you guys and I really want you to be happy. Of course I'm going to be happy with it, I wrote the dumb thing. ^_^**


End file.
